Beer Bad
by chosenfire28
Summary: Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up
1. WakeUp Call

Beer Bad

By: chosenfire

Spoilers: season 1 of Supernatural post "Something Wicked"

Buffy post season 7 "Chosen"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or show references

Answer to challenge #310 "Woke Up In Vegas" by Jinni

The challenge is this:  
A BtVS or AtS character and a character from another genre meet up in Vegas and get really, really smashed. They end up in bed and MARRIED. Your story should pick up the next morning, when one or the other (or both) wakes up completely confused.

What comes next for the (un)happy pair? Do they stay together? Is there a reason why they can't separate? Are there long term consequences or just short term? And what do their friends think of what's happened?

Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself married to a blond Vampire Slayer in Vegas and the two must make a decision while trying to hide their nighttime activities.

Dean/Buffy, Sam? (I'm thinking either Dawn, Willow, or Faith. Vote on it.)

Chapter 1 Wake-Up Call

Dean gritted his teeth against the relentless pounding in his skull and opened his eyes, glaring at the sunlight coming into the room from the window, groaning as he sat up in the king size bed.

It took him all of five seconds to realize that: (1) this wasn't his hotel room, (2) he had lost his clothes, and (3) their was a gorgeous blond woman sleeping on the bed beside him completely nude.

A grin spread on his lips as he looked at the golden curves of the naked goddess he had obviously gotten very lucky with last night and he pushed back the headache as she shifted, the sheet covering her slipping to reveal the beautiful bounty he fervently wished he could remember.

"Well this trip certainly does have its rewards." he whispered.

After dealing with the child killing demon Sam had found reports of some nasty that hunted heavy gamblers, ripping out their hearts and leaving a single ancient coin on their foreheads.

So they had headed for Nevada and the infamous city of sin. After decapitating the demon they had decided to celebrate and when Sammy had gone to catch some sleep at the hotel, Dean had ordered another beer and allowed himself to get completely drunk.

He thanked whatever gods had placed him in the vicinity of the hot blond sleeping with him.

The blonds eyes flew open and she sat up quickly covering herself with the sheet and looking at him in dread.

"We didn't…" her voice trailed off as she looked at him and she groaned "I am going to kill Faith." wrapping the sheet tighter around her body.

They had come to Vegas to get away from the hassle of over four dozen hormonal teenage girls and paperwork that went with running a school for the new Slayers popping up all over the world.

Faith had talked her into having the reformed Council pay for the expenses of a much needed vacation, and along with Willow, Dawn, and Xander, they had boarded the private jet for Las Vegas.

Xander had gone to try his hand at poker, Willow had taken Dawn to see a concert, and Faith had dragged Buffy off to a club to get totally wasted and laid.

If the dark haired Slayer could see her now she would be so proud.

" I'm Dean Winchester" the very good looking man offered him her hand with arrogant smirk and she sighed resigned "Buffy Summers."

They noticed it at the same time, identical gold bands on each others left hands, and eyes went wide in shock looking at each other in abject horror.


	2. Distractions

Beer Bad By: chosenfire Spoilers: season 1 of Supernatural post "Something Wicked"  
Buffy post season 7 "Chosen"  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or show references

Answer to challenge #310 "Woke Up In Vegas" by Jinni The challenge is this:  
A BtVS or AtS character and a character from another genre meet up in Vegas and get really, really smashed. They end up in bed and MARRIED. Your story should pick up the next morning, when one or the other (or both) wakes up completely confused.

What comes next for the (un)happy pair? Do they stay together? Is there a reason why they can't separate? Are there long term consequences or just short term? And what do their friends think of what's happened?

Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself married to a blond Vampire Slayer in Vegas and the two must make a decision while trying to hide their nighttime activities. Dean/Buffy, Sam? (I'm thinking either Dawn, Willow, or Faith. Vote on it.)

A/N: Looks like Willow and Dawn are tied leaving Faith behind. C'mon and tell me who you want to see Sam with and why. I can't write it if you don't tell me. Thanks for all the great reviews.

Chapter 2 Distractions

"Damn it Dean pick up." Sam muttered into the cell phone pressed to his ear growing frustrated as his older brother didn't answer on his end.

He let a couple more dozen rings pass before he hit the end button shoving the device into the pocket of his jeans dragging a hand through his hair while he paced across yet another cheap hotel room floor.

Right now he was in between being worried or angry and anger was quickly winning out.

Sam knew Dean could take care of himself, so if his brother wasn't in mortal danger that meant he had done something incredibly stupid and it most likely involved a large amount of alcohol.

So if he wanted to find Dean the best place to start looking would be the bar he had left him at least night.

------------------

"Oh my god." Buffy groaned getting off the bed dragging the cream colored sheet with her, "no, no, no, no, no." she kept muttering trying to convince herself it wasn't what she thought it was.

Dean grabbed one of the pillows quickly covering his exposed private parts glaring at her accusingly "This is your fault."

"My fault?" Buffy's eyes narrowed dangerously "How in the hell is this my fault?" in her anger her hands tightened into fists at her sides and the sheet slipped down revealing the upper half of her body.

Dean's mouth fell open the anger draining from his face to be replaced by awe and desire.

Buffy caught the look in his eyes and stilled, it had been over two years since someone had looked at her that way and her system was going all wonky seeing the heated look in his eyes.

Buffy made a half hearted attempt to reposition the sheet but her hands weren't working right and her eyes had moved from his face to hungrily take in the smooth, naked flesh of his seriously ripped body, somebody obviously ate their Wheaties.

"So I figure the talking part is over and we can get to the fun stuff now." Dean suggested and Buffy bit her bottom lip backing up hurriedly.

"We still have to do something about this and , and I don't even know you so back up mister." She took another step back and he slid off the bed shamelessly nude stalking her. "And my little sister will be worrying" Buffy babbled "and I'm sure there's many many more reasons why this is a very bad idea."

Dean stood right before her a smirk working its way on his face "I can't think of any" and before she could respond his lips claimed hers in a hot kiss his hands pulling off the rest of the sheet and dragging her body to his.

----------------

"Dean" Buffy whispered in his ear letting her hands linger on his chest.

"Hmmm?" he groaned his arm tightening around her waist and he rolled over and began to nuzzle her neck.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this," Buffy sighed "cause I am," she pulled herself away from him "but your pants have been vibrating for over an hour now and its really starting to get on my nerves."

"What?" he sat up looking over at the crumpled pair of jeans on the floor and his face filled with dread, only one person was stubborn enough to call him relentlessly for an hour straight.

"So the only person I could think of that would call like that would be a worried girlfriend."

"What?" Dean looked at her confused and seeing the angry glint in her eyes denied quickly "No, no girlfriend. It's just my little brother, bit of a freak, worries too much."

"Oh" Buffy relaxed deflated and huffed "So aren't you going to answer it?"

"Might as well." Dean snorted and tossed the covers aside untangling himself from his delectable little wife.

"Hey Sammy." Dean greeted fishing the phone out of the pocket.

"Where the hell are you Dean?" Sam demanded and he grimaced at the volume of his little brother's voice holding the phone away from his ear for a second.

"Oh you know, in a swanky hotel room with an extremely hot, tan blond" Dean winked over at Buffy and she rolled her eyes.

"Dean." Sam's voice was filled with irritation and the oldest Winchester brother watched as his wife stretched on the bed.

Deciding there were better things he could do with his time Dean told his brother "I'll get back to you." and hung up.

He started walking to the bed when Buffy got up and slipped on a tiny silk black dress and grabbed a scrap of discarded black silk underwear "Not so fast mister." She faced him clearly determined "As much as I'm enjoying the touchiness, we really need to talk." she held up her hand indicating the gold wedding band they had avoided mentioning since they had woke up. 


	3. Lack of Protection

Beer Bad By: chosenfire28 Spoilers: season 1 of Supernatural post "Something Wicked"  
Buffy post season 7 "Chosen"  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or show references Answer to challenge #310 "Woke Up In Vegas" by Jinni The challenge is this:  
A BtVS or AtS character and a character from another genre meet up in Vegas and get really, really smashed. They end up in bed and MARRIED. Your story should pick up the next morning, when one or the other (or both) wakes up completely confused.  
What comes next for the (un)happy pair? Do they stay together? Is there a reason why they can't separate? Are there long term consequences or just short term? And what do their friends think of what's happened?  
Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself married to a blond Vampire Slayer in Vegas and the two must make a decision while trying to hide their nighttime activities. Dean/Buffy, Sam? (I'm thinking either Dawn, Willow, or Faith. Vote on it.)

AN: Thank everybody who reviewed the last couple of chapters and voted. Okay so everybody is about to meet each other. This chapter brings up another conflict so tell me what you guys think about it. Any suggestions you have I would appreciate, read and enjoy.

Chapter 3 Lack of Protection

Dean settled into the booth across from Buffy and that's when it hit him, he was married. Hitched to a short blond and what he knew about her wasn't fit for the ears of the children.

Now that the haze of alcohol and lust was fading, not so much in the case of the later, it also occurred to him how could he get out of this marriage if he was legally dead.

He had really screwed up this time.

"So…" Buffy began nervously twisting her hands on the table her face slightly flushed as she recalled this morning.

She had let Faith get to her with all her talk of letting loose and getting wild. Buffy didn't get wild, she was the responsible one, and she was sick of it. So what did she do, get drunk and marry a guy she was pretty sure was a jerk, if she ignored his killer abs and suggestive eyes. 

"We should really end this." Buffy sighed wondering why the thought saddened her.

"Why? Dean demanded knowing he had to think of something quick "We could stay married."

"You got to be kidding me." Buffy scoffed saying sarcastically her voice going high pitched like the valley girl she used to be "We can get a house and a car, oh and have kids."

Her eyes widened at the last one "Oh my god." She gulped praying "You have condoms don't you?"

Dean snorted "I'm on a road trip with my little brother, it's a romance killer."

Buffy gripped the table hard and Dean didn't notice as it cracked too focused on the panic in Buffy's eyes "We didn't use a condom last night or this morning."

Dean felt his throat go dry "But your on the pill right?" Dean gave her a desperate smile his voice breaking "right?"

"No." Buffy whispered softly shaking her head.

She hadn't seen the point after Riley had left and it had slipped her mind as she worked with the mini Slayers. She didn't even date.

"This can't be happening." Buffy groaned and Dean knew how she felt, this was bad, real bad.

"Dean." he heard someone shout and closed his eyes briefly silently wishing he could crawl into a hole somewhere.

"Hey Sammy." he gave his brother a forced grin as he approached "this is Buffy, she's my wife."

Sam stooped stunned looking at the devastated blond across from his big brother saying the first thing that popped into his mind "Did you make her cry?"

Dean laughed humorously "No, she might be pregnant."

Sam sat next to Dean stunned "Oh."

"So no annulment huh?" Buffy deadpanned biting her bottom lip to keep from crying, this couldn't be happening.

"We'll figure this out." Dean told her softly reaching across the table for one of her hands and holding it in his.

Buffy looked into his eyes and seeing the determination made a decision "I'll hold you to that." She was going to stick this out. She could do this, it wasn't like she was slaying a 300 pound Fyral demon, cause that would be easy.

Needing a change of subject Buffy asked "So what do you two do for a living?"

"Um" Dean stuttered

"Well…" Sam coughed and they both shared a look.

"We're detectives." Sam offered weakly his smile nervous. Usually they had more time to come up with a cover story. This was all Dean's fault.

"Uh-huh." Buffy looked at them suspiciously, and people said she was a bad liar. 


	4. Watched By a Witch

Beer Bad By: chosenfire Disclaimer: Once again I do not own said shows and no matter how hard I wish never will.  
Pairings: Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Oz/Willow

AN: Thank you to everybody who has been reviewing this story and here's the next chapter. Think of it as the calm before the storm, more of a transition chapter (that's why it's a little shorter). Thank you to everybody who voted on both TtH and It was really close between Dawn and Willow but the little sister won out, to those who wanted to see the others with someone I'll have some Willow/Oz drama and in this chapter some Xander/Faith fluff.

AN2: New votes (1) should Buffy be pregnant? (2) Should Xander be John's long lost son? Please let your opinion be known.

Chapter 4 Watched By a Witch

"Uh-huh." Buffy grinned disbelief clearly in her eyes. "Next your going to tell me your priests."

Dean snorted "Not recently." and Sam elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

Buffy's eyebrows went up at that and Dean smiled brightly trying to cover for his slip up.

"So what do you do?" Sam asked trying to change the subject.

Buffy replied as honestly as she could "I work for a private all girls boarding school that is based in England. Mostly I work in recruitment.

"That's…" Dean's smile was brittle "interesting." His hot blond worked at an upper class snotty prep school in friggin England."

Buffy took a deep breath and asked Dean "So what'd the plan?"

Dawn yawned as she knocked on Willow's door. They had gone to a demon bar of all places after the concert and had been there late.

Willow had scheduled a meeting with the local Las Vegas Slayers to check up on their progress and see how they were doing.

It seemed the red headed witch didn't understand the meaning of the term vacation.

When Dawn had woke up she had headed to Buffy's room to see how much trouble her and Faith had gotten into last night only to find the room empty and in disarray. Either Buffy had been attacked and kidnapped last night or she had finally let loose and had a little fun.

"Hey Dawnie." Willow greeted cheerfully ushering the teen into her room. Obviously by the ingredients spread on Willow's bed she had been up for awhile.

Dawn was starting to wonder if she ever slept.

Ever since her explosive break-up with Kennedy and a call she had gotten from Oz Willow had had immersed herself in work like she was trying to ignore something, or forget.

Truthfully everyone was starting to get worried and Dawn wondered what Oz had told her that had freaked her out so much.

"Do you know where Buffy is?" Dawn asked Willow sitting down in one of the chairs, they had planned breakfast for this morning with the rest of the gang and had planned before hand to go over the file Giles had faxed over the day of their arrival, he wanted them to look into some kind of haunting at an old movie theater.

Willow's eyes got a far off look in them as she paused then the widened her jaw dropping in shock "Oh my god!"

"What is it?" Dawn stood up worried and Willow's eyes focused on her face as she came out of her trance "Buffy is at the hotel restaurant with her new husband and his brother."

"Husband?" Dawn choked out horrified "Buffy got married?"

"Yup." Willow grabbed her jacket that had large pockets filled with emergency medical supplies "She would like our help with damage control."

Dawn followed Willow out of the room "What about Xander and Faith?"

Willow grinned mischievously telling Dawn "Their otherwise occupied at the moment, it would be rude to interrupt."

Dawn looked at Willow with a mixture of apprehension and awe "Can you do that all the time, tune into anyone of us you want at any time?"

Willow shrugged "Pretty much why?"

Dawn just looked at her "That's just creepy."

"Hey." Xander whispered softly kissing the back of Faith's neck his eyes meeting hers in the mirror in the bathroom. He wrapped his arms around her waist grinning.

Faith smiled "Hey yourself hot stuff." She leaned back into him.

Faith had broken her relationship off from Wood a month after Sunnydale. He had made clear his dislike of Buffy and when he tried to make her chose it hadn't been him. So he had left for New York and the Council had broken all contact with him.

Within the last couple of weeks she had been getting closer to Xander and when things had heated up and gotten more serious they had decided to keep their budding relationship under wraps. Neither were sure of where they stood and until their relationship had stabilized they didn't want to advertise it to the group.

Xander was pretty sure Willow knew and didn't know how long she would keep it a secret but until she told everyone, as she was bound to do, they were going to keep doing what they were doing, it worked so far.

They both wanted to make this relationship work. 


	5. Being All Helpful

Beer Bad 

By: chosenfire28

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own said shows and no matter how hard I wish never will.

Pairings: Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Oz/Willow

AN: Sorry for the wait but I hope this chapter's worth it. I really liked how it turned out and I hope you agree. In this chapter the pairing I've decided on is Dawn/Sam. For all you Willow fans don't despair, I have plans for everyone's favorite red head. Also in this chapter a big twist will be revealed, every story needs a twist and this one is a big one. Sorry to those who wanted Buffy pregnant but it just wouldn't fit now, maybe more toward the end.

****

**Chapter 5 Being All Helpful**

Buffy leaned her head on her hand bored as Dean stuttered his way through various things they could do to fix this; thankfully his brother had the brains to remain silent. At least he was bright enough to realize she was stalling for time.

"Oh Willow thank god." Buffy exclaimed jumping up to hug her best friend whispering in the red heads ear "Help?"

"I'm here too." Dawn said amused and earned a hug from her, on the edge of losing it, older sister.

They drew away and Buffy gave her an apologetic smile "I'm sorry for missing breakfast this morning."

Dawn shrugged it off looking speculatively at Dean "I understand, you had your hands full."

Dean and Sam stood up studying the two new women cautiously.

Buffy went to stand by her new husband and he reflexively slipped his arm around her waist "Sam, Dean this is Willow Rosenberg my best friend." The red head gave them a small wave and Buffy indicated the tall brunette beside her "and Dawn Summers, my little sister."

"This." Buffy nodded to the men on either side of her "Is Dean and Sam Winchester. Dean and I got married last night."

Willow and Dawn really tried to look surprised, they really did, but the truth was they weren't.

Buffy moved away from Dean grabbing Willow's arm and throwing her little sister a bright smile "So Dawn, why don't you talk to Sam and Dean while me and Wills go to the bathroom, get to know each other."

Dawn rolled her eyes as Buffy dragged Willow away, this was great. She was left to baby-sit the boys while Buffy told Willow whatever what put the panic in her eyes.

"So what do you do?" Dawn asked them and both Dean and Sam groaned sharing a pained look.

Buffy closed the bathroom door firmly behind them and walked past Willow leaning down to check under each stall door. She also reached with her Slayer senses and when she was sure they were alone she turned to Willow her face serious "I need you to read me."

"What?" Willow's brow furrowed in confusion at the request from Buffy of all people.

Buffy started pacing on the tiles clearly nervous "You can read auras right?" she asked growing more panicked. She remembered how Tara had been able to "sense" things in people and was betting she had taught Willow how too.

At Willow's nod she took a deep breath "I need you to read me for something else, something like a new life."

Willow's eyes went wide comprehension dawning "Oh…Buffy?"

Buffy looked down sheepishly mumbling "We sorta didn't use anything last night." she blushed "Or this morning."

"Where you still drunk?" Willow asked hopefully

"No." Buffy said flatly looking at Willow like she was crazy.

Willow blushed "Well if you were it would be okay, drunken sex," Willow looked thoughtful "But Buffy why?" The Slayer had never been that careless.

It was the Slayers turn to look embarrassed "Well…" she fumbled with her words "We woke up and he was all cute and rumpled and its been a really long time and…"

"You needed to get laid." Willow said innocently amusement in her blue eyes.

Buffy glared at her "I'm weak okay."

They shared an understanding look both having weak moments in their lives and Willow reached for the familiar energy telling Buffy "Don't move." She viewed the Slayer with new eyes, glowing white eyes.

The white faded from Willows eyes and Buffy asked "So?"

"Your not pregnant." Before Buffy could celebrate Willow told her "But you shouldn't take chances like that. You should know better than to tempt the fates."

"So Dean," Dawn sat down beside Sam glaring at the older of the two brothers "do you marry all the women you have drunken sex with or is my sister special."

Dean shifted in his seat uncomfortable "It does take two to do these things kids."

Dawn was undeterred "You didn't answer the question." She leaned back in her seat continuing to glare at him.

"What are you fourteen?" Dean growled going on the defensive. He didn't like getting interrogated by a teeny bopper.

"Eighteen actually." Dawn smirked "And seeing as how you're my new brother-in-law I'm just welcoming you to the family Deanie."

"Look Sammy." Dean told his brother "Britney thinks she's scary."

Dawn turned to the younger Winchester "Is your brother always an ass?"

"Pretty much yeah." Sam shrugged amused by Dawn. It was fun watching Dean get his ass handed to him by a girl in a verbal sparring contest.

Dawn put her hand on Sam's bicep somatically "I feel for you."

That action inspired Dean's imagination and he smirked "Yeah Sammy, she feels for you." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively "Bet she wants to do a wahole lot of feeling."

Dawn removed her hand once again glaring at the cretin Buffy had married. Her eyes brightened as she saw said person behind him "Hey Buffy."

Dawn grinned innocently as the Slayer and Witch made their way back to the table "Can I kill your husband?" she looked hopeful.

Buffy bit her bottom lip "Just don't make too big of a mess, that's my shirt your wearing."

She sat down beside Dean wondering what he had done, or most likely said, to piss off Dawn enough to have her wanting to kill him. She hoped he hadn't called her kid, really he couldn't be that stupid could he?

Willow sat down by Dawn forcing her to sit closer to Sam. The Key noted with interest the blush the Winchester brother she could stand was trying to hide.

Pulling her eyes away from Sam Dawn asked Buffy and to a lesser extent Dean "So are you guys going to get a divorce?" She tried to ignore Sam's arm pressed against hers.

"Buffy might be pregnant." Dean explained simply and before Dawn could have sufficient time to start freaking out she caught the quick shake of Willow's head. So that's what the little visit to the Girl's room was about.

"Well." Willow took charge "you guys can still get a divorce and we could go your separate ways. Just leave a number where we could contact you and IF Buffy turns up to be pregnant than we'll call and you can decide where you can go from there." They knew Buffy wasn't pregnant but the why they knew that would be a little difficult to explain.

Both Sam and Dean got nervous, someone who was legally dead really couldn't get a divorce.

"Or." Sam offered hopefully "They could stay married and try to make it work."

"Yeah." Dean agreed automatically then turned to Sam "Wait, what?" he didn't want to be married. That romantic forever crap was Sam's deal. He just wanted to have a little fun with the hottie he had woken up with.

"Well…" Sam looked self conscious, everyone was now looking at him like he was crazy "Dean and Buffy could try to make their marriage work. They obviously have chemistry and seem to genuinely like each other, marriages have been based on less right?" He suggested hopefully ignoring the mirror looks of horror on Buffy and Dean's faces. "They have a better shot than most."

"Huh?" Buffy gaped at him clearly haven't thought of the possibility of actually staying married to Dean Winchester.

"What in the hell is up with you?" Dean demanded wondering if he'd been possessed again or had hit his head, really hard.

"That sounds like a good idea." Dawn threw in surprisingly.

The amusement gone Buffy looked at Dawn "And again I say huh?"

The youngest Summers shrugged "I don't like Dean, at all really, but you could do a lot worse." She gave Buffy a pointed look saying that she had, namely the Immortal. Talk about a slim ball. Not to mention Angel(way too much hair gel), Parker(jerk), and Riley(bailer). At least Dean had a sense of humor.

Dawn's eyes brighten as another thought occurred to her "Plus its not like any of us have had the best track records with relationships so with Dean you could use the marriage as a safety net, take some of the pressure off."

Sam gave her a grateful smile, for whatever reason she was backing him up and her explanations where smarter than his, sadly.

"Something's been bugging me." Willow changed the subject breaking the tension between the two pairs "If you two are legally married than wouldn't there be a marriage certificate or some type of legal documentation."

Buffy's brow furrowed and Dean coughed "Oh right. That."

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pants pocket and tossed on the table in front of Willow.

Buffy turned to Dean angry "You wrinkled our marriage certificate?"

Dean looked stunned, like a deer caught in headlights and neither Dawn nor Sam could hide their amusement. Already the two where acting like a married couple and it hadn't even been a day yet.

"Hey B." a dark haired vixen walked up to the crowded table and silence descended "So what's up and who are the hotties?"

"That's a long story Faith." Buffy groaned.

A dark haired woman walked up behind Faith slipping his arm around her waist.

Both Dean and Sam paled looking at the man "Xander."

Everyone looked at Alexander Harris and the long timed scoobies face hardened as he looked at the two men and his voice was cold "Long time no see. I kinda preferred it that way." He tilted his head as he studied them "So how's Dad, still chasing ghosts?"


	6. Alexander Winchester

Beer Bad

By: chosenfire28

Spoilers: BtVS-Season 7, Supernatural-Season 1

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own said shows and no matter how hard I wish never will.  
Pairings: Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Oz/Willow AN: Here is this next chapter as promised. I want to thank all the people who have been following this story and have reviewed. This is Xander's story as a Winchester and I hope you like it. Tell me what you think.

**Chapter 6 Alexander Winchester**

"I can't do this John." Mary cried holding their 1 year old son Dean in her arms. She was young and trying to raise a baby while her husband worked. "You're always gone. Your only home for a week or two then you have to go back on tour. We never see you and Dean needs a father."

She looked down at her son's sleeping face and breathed out raggedly "I can't keep doing this, it's too hard." She had dreamed of a fairytale romance and had thought she had gotten it when she had married John, but he was married to the marines.

"I work hard." John argued vehemently "I serve my country."

"But you don't serve your family." Mary took a deep breath and faced him tears in her eyes "I think you need to go, I'm not going to do this anymore."

He looked at her completely stunned and as he took a step forward she backed up shaking her head "It's over John, I'll set up visitations for you with Dean but beyond that we're through. You should leave now."

John picked up the black duffel bag by the door where he had left it when he came home and silently left the house he had shared with Mary for three years now. It wasn't his home anymore.

He checked into a cheap hotel room and dumped his stuff getting in his car and heading to one of the rundown bars in Lawrence.

John took off his wedding band slipping it into his pocket and started to drink away the past couple of hours wanting to be embrace by oblivion.

"Rough day." a curvaceous redhead slid into the stool beside him.

John studied her and smirked "You could say that."

She tossed back her hair smiling coyly at him "I'm Jessica."

He grinned accepting her warm hand in his "John."

* * *

Months had passed with little word from Mary. He would go over to one of their friends house to spend a couple of hours with Dean every weekend,

John had quite the Marines and gotten a low paying job as a mechanic.

Everyday guilt ate him up inside over what he had done. That next morning he had woken up next to miss Jessica and completely sober had been disgusted at himself for what he had done. Sure Mary had kicked him out but they were still married, he was still her husband.

He had tried to explain this to Jessica and had only ended up making a full of himself as she had left pissed.

John shut the engine on the car and wiped his hands on a dirty rag when a familiar redhead walked into the shop looking nervous.

"Jessica?" he had never expected to see her again, had wanted to put it behind him. With her next words though he wouldn't be able to do that, would never be able to forget it.

"So…" Jessica said nervously "I'm pregnant."

* * *

A year had passed and John and Mary had started talking again. He had told her about the Jessica and the baby and while she had been hurt they were trying to work through things for Dean's sake.

Mary had even sent a baby gift and had once talked to Jessica. It hadn't gone well. Jessica had told her that John only loved the child while he tolerated her and that Mary was the woman he loved.

John had token over the shop when the owner had gotten hurt and couldn't work anymore. He had gone from a Marine to a Mechanic.

John checked the temperature of the bottle on his wrist and humming under his breath walked into the front room of his small apartment. There really wasn't much room but he managed to make it work.

This was his weekend with Dean and Jessica had dropped off the baby for a couple of days while she looked for a job. John got Dean every weekend and the baby four days out of the week while Jessica was trying to put her life in order.

John handed the bottled to Dean and showed him how to feed the baby. The three year old looked down at his baby brother and smiled shyly "He looks like you." and Alexander Winchester did. Dark hair strong features.

There was more of John in him then there was of Jessica. Although he had inherited his mother's sensitive nature.

John smiled ruffling Dean's light brown hair and there was a loud knock on the door.

Still a soldier at heart John cautiously approached the door and opened it hand straying to the gun tucked under his shirt.

His hand dropped down to his side as he saw who was the other side of the door "Hey Jessica?" he was puzzled. She wasn't suppose to be here for a couple of days.

"Hey." she said softly stepping past him into the apartment and her eyes instantly landed on the boys. She smiled "He's getting big." She had meet John's oldest son while she was pregnant with Alexander.

John saw the tears in her eyes and asked softly "What is it?" He was genuinely concerned, while he didn't love her she meant something to him, if only the fact that she had given him a child.

"I'm leaving," Jessica whispered "tonight."

John started to panic and she gave him a sad smile and reassured him "Don't worry, I'm leaving Alexander with you." She had been working hard to overcome an addiction to painkillers and knew the best place for her son was with his father. No matter how much it hurt.

She took a deep breath "We both know I can't care for him." She looked at the little boy in his big brother's arms "He deserves better."

She handed John a bag full of the rest of her son's stuff from her place. The baby already had a crib and car seat here. "I'm going to be staying with an old friend in California. She's gonna help me get back on my feet." She had gone to school with Laney Harris and her old best friend had been the one to make the offer. Jessica looked one last time at Alexander and told John "Take care of him for more." and left .

**

* * *

**

**1 year later**

"Hey." John grinned coming into the house and greeting his wife. "How are you doing?" he asked Mary softly pressing a kiss to her check.

"Fine." she grinned rubbing her abdomen "Considering I have to deal with a rambunctious four hold, chase after a curious two year old, and while having morning sickness that lasts all day."

At John's guilty looked Mary laughed and there was a pattering on the wooden floors.

"Dad." four year old Dean shouted running towards hid father followed by a slower two year old Xander.

"Hey boys." John grinned leaning down to scoop up his two sons in his arms as he looked at his wife who was carrying their third little boy.

After Jessica had left he had tried raising a baby on his own and found himself way out of his league. When Mary had come by the next weekend to drop Dean off she had found the apartment in chaos and John had explained what had happened to her.

She had gone to work and had had the house cleane din an hour and Xander sleeping in his crib.

It had still taken a little over three months after that for them to once again become romantically involved and a month after that he had moved back into their home with Xander.

Mary was great with the little boy and John was still amazed how she had accepted another woman's child as her own. She had once told him that she was a mother at heart and that Xander needed a mommy.

Dean started talking rapidly about what had happened that day and Xander just buried his head in his daddy's shoulder.

* * *

"Xander." John screamed in the chaos of the wailing fire trucks and the thick crowd around the house in which his wife had been killed.

"Daddy." somehow John heard the small voice and he searched for the root of the sound his eyes landing on the dark haired little boy on the street.

"Xander." he yelled relief in his voice and raced towards his son grabbing him up into his arms. Xander wrapped his small arms tightly around John still trembling from fear tears in his eyes.

John brought him over to the car where Dean sat in the back seat holding a crying Sam in his small little arms.

"Where is Mommy?" Dean asked softly.

John swallowed trying to hold back the pain and whispered raggedly "She's gone son, she's gone."

He strapped Sammy into the car seat in the back seat of the black impala and put Dean on either side of it.

He got into the driver's seat and looked in the mirror back at his three sons. Sammy was calming down as Dean stroked his arm and Xander leaned his head on the car seat as Dean sang a rock son he had heard on the radio under his breath.  
John clenched his teeth and started up his car letting the anger course through him. He would find the fiend that killed his wife and make whatever the hell it was pay.

* * *

"Watch your brothers Dean." John ordered cocking his shotgun full of rock salt and slipping his handgun into its holster.

The seven year old nodded having become accustomed to the order having heard it since he was four.

John patted him on the shoulder and leaned down to kiss five year old Xander and three year old Sam's foreheads. Xander was showing Sam how to color at the rickety table in the hotel room.

That night when he returned to the hotel room from the hunt he found his oldest son staning with a gun aimed at the door Xander and Sam huddled behind him. The light were out ans their was glass all over the floor.

Something had attacked.

As John gathered up his boys his eyes landed on the long jagged cut on Xander's arm and Missouri's words from three years ago echoed in his mind. "If you continue on this path you're going to lose one of those boys." she had been looking straight at Xander.

* * *

A week after that John pulled up to the fairly decent house in Sunnydale, California. Jessica had written him over the years and had told him she had married her friends older brother Tony Harris.

It had sounded like she had finally gotten her life in order.

"Dad I don't want to go." Xander cried near tears looking at his father and John kneeled down beside him choking back the tears "It will be okay. We'll stop in every couple of months and every holiday. It won't even be like I was gone."

John knew he was lying, the hunt was unpredictable.

"But I want to stay with you and Dean and Sam." Xander cried and John hugged him as Dean stood on watching with Sam both boys looking scared.

"So do I." John whispered softly so Xander couldn't hear. John loved his sons, no one would ever doubt that, and if he had a chance to protect one of them then he would. Jessica was ready to be a mother again and Xander would be away from the demons that his father hunted.

Missouri had been right, he was losing Xander.

* * *

"Alexander Harris." the teacher took roll and Xander muttered under his breath "Its Winchester." then yelled "Here."

When it came time for coloring he sat down at one of the tables and looked out the window trying not to cry. He had cried for the past two weeks and he was sick of it.

He heard sniffling and looked over at the little girl beside him. She had dark red hair and wore a gray dress. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

She looked up at him stunned, nobody really ever talked to her and said shyly "My yellow crayon broke." she held it up to show him."

"Here." he handed her his and she smiled brightly.

"I'm Willow." she offered tentatively and Xander gave her the patented Winchester grin "I'm Xander, want to be friends?"

She nodded.


	7. See You, See Me

Beer Bad

By: chosenfire28

Spoilers: BtVS post season 7, Supernatural season 1

Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Xander/Faith, possibly Willow/Oz (let me know)  
Disclaimer: Okay I rock at the vague disclaimers so I DO NOT OWN, that's all I'm going to admit to.  
Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself married to a blond Vampire Slayer in Vegas and the two must make a decision while trying to hide their nighttime activities, not to mention the fact that Dean's little brother is Buffy's best friend.

AN: I just want to say I love you guys. The amount of reviews I've gotten for this story are amazing and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to let their voice be heard.

AN2: For those who review this is a little prezzie for you, in your next review give me a scene or situation you would like to see, even a character and I'll incorporated it in the coming chapters and give you a mention.

**Chapter 7 See You See Me**

Buffy looked between one of her best friends and her new husband confusion clearly written on her face. "You guys know each other?"

Xander buried his hands in his pockets his eyes radiating hostility as they rested on Dean "You could say that." his voice dripped with sarcasm.

Dawn clued both Buffy and an equally clueless Faith on what was going on with a simple statement "These are your brothers." She had remembered listening at Buffy's door late at night as her older sister, Willow, and Xander had talked in heated tones about the men who had abandoned Xander as a child on a Hellmouth.

Xander smiled bitterly "By blood only."

Dean shot up out of his seat at that "Now what in the hell does that mean Alexander?" Dean and his dad had been the only ones to still call him that, the Ale- had been dropped his first day of grade school and the partially blind teacher had misread it and Willow had insisted he keep the name.

"To be a brother," Xander spat out "you would actually have to be even remotely involved in my life."

Dean's eyes narrowed "We were there as much as we could be."

"But a job always kept you away huh?" Xander mocked him remembering ever time his Dad then later on Dean would call to cancel on a visit cause they couldn't get away from their work. As a child Xander had pretended his father and brother's ere government agents and they were protecting him by staying away until in 4th Grade Larry had laughed at him telling him John had gotten rid of his fake son.

Xander had never understood why John had chosen Sam over him.

After another missed birthday because of a "job" Xander had gotten sick of waiting. Tony might have been a bastard and a drunk but at least he had been there.

He ran out in the middle of the night to get Xander some medicine when he had gotten the flu and stayed by him all night when it got worse and he had to go to the hospital.

He was there when Xander had been a squire in his sixth grade play and it almost didn't matter how wasted he was and how he cheered when the bad guy got the upper hand and the princess got kidnapped.

He was there sharing a beer with Xander after his almost wedding.

He was there, they weren't.

Dean advanced on him pissed off "Lets not forget Alex who told us not to come to his graduation, who had the gall to order us to stay away."

Xander snorted wondering if he would be committed if he told his older brother that a giant snake had ate a good deal of his graduating class and that he hadn't wanted them to be its next meal. Buffy and Willow shared a guilty look remembering the big blow up Xander had gotten into with John on the phone and Faith looked down at the floor remembering her own part in those events.

Not knowing what to say to that Xander asked calmly "Did you even read the invitation to my wedding?" At dean's startled look Xander smiled bitterly "Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. I left her at the alter, I was scared I would turn out like my father, you know the one that raised me."

Dean got in Xander's face "Don't you ever disrespect Dad like that again, he did the best job he could."

Xander smirked bitterly "Yeah pops did a bang up jog, you know leaving me with someone else." His eyes narrowed and he didn't back down "So where were you guys when the town you left me in became a big sink hole?" his voice grew angrier "You didn't even check to see if I was alive."

He used to worship Dean, he used to idolize his older brother.

He forced Dean to take a step back "You didn't even give a crap about me, you or Dad. Did you know Sam drove down from Stanford the second he heard about it. He stayed with me for three days to make sure I was alright, to make sure Anya's death didn't destroy me."

His voice broke as he faced the man he had saw as a hero, that he could distantly remember protecting him "Dammit Dean you didn't even call." With that Xander stormed past him in search of the bar and Dean moved to follow but was stopped by a tight and surprisingly strong grip on his arm.

He looked over to see the brunette that had showed up with Alexander looking at him darkly "Not so fast cowboy." She looked ready to kill him and something about her eyes told him she could. Dean wrenched his arm out of her grip growing angry that his little brother's girl toy had shaken him up with just one look.

Buffy stood up beside him and he turned to her wanted to know what in the hell had just happened and why "Might want to explain to me how in the hell you know my bitch of a little brother?"

"He's my best friend." Buffy stated bluntly and Dean was shocked by the frosty tone he could detect in her voice not expecting the sudden change in her attitude towards him. Buffy turned to the brunette "I'm going to go…" she nodded and his wife took off in the direction the estranged Winchester had gone.

"Well this is great," Dean muttered aware of the several pairs of hostile eyes directed his way, so he had been cast in the role of the villain. What he wouldn't give for a beer and to be any other place at the moment. He said the first thing that came to mind "So whose Anya?"

"She was his fiancé." Sam told him softly remembering the crumpled picture of the exuberant blond Xander had shone him that night. Then he had been sympathic now he was empathic. He understood too well now what Xander had gone through, the pain of losing Jessica was still with him. He now knew the pain that had permeated from his older brother that night as he had nursed the same untouched beer.

"It makes sense now," Dean turned to Dawn who was giving him another one of her smart ass looks, when she got his attention she said with a sickly sweet smile "Why I don't like you."

Before Dean could put her in her place Willow's usually kind voice interrupted him "I'm staring to understand too Dawnie, he's not exactly the person I thought he was." Willow had witnessed first hand the damage the Winchester's had done to her long time best friend. Xander had always been honest with her about his feelings towards the men that had abandoned him.

* * *

Buffy searched the bar until she spotted the familiar frame of her long time friend. She slid into the seat beside him glancing at the water he held in his hand "You know usually people go to a bar to drink alcohol." she said teasingly.

Xander tried to mach her cheerful tone "Guess that makes me a rebel, besides alcohol does bad things."

Buffy smiled brightly "Yup, remember cave me, seriously bad hair day, and the outfit." she mock shuddered.

Xander gave her a small grin "I don't know Buffy I found you kinda hot."

"Perv." Buffy punched his arm lightly and he winced not really feeling any pain but knowing his part well.

When he couldn't even force a smile on his face he turned to Buffy eyes serious "So what was with the way the way you were sitting so close to the devil incarnate. I might have lost an eye once but thanks to Will's mojo I can still see perfectly fine."

Buffy took a deep breath "Remember how alcohol and Buffy are non-mixy things," Xander nodded and Buffy held up her left hand "I forgot that last night and got married to your brother."

Xander looked at the ring "I think I might actually need that beer." his face looked like it might turn green.

Buffy looked down guiltily "Its not that bad." she mumbled feeling like the lowest form of scum.

Taking pity on her Xander threw his arm around Buffy's shoulder's giving her a quick hug in reassurance "At least we can say your taste in men hasn't improved, and" he tried to add some humor to the screwed up situation "technically your now my sister-in-law."

Buffy leaned her head on his shoulder and said bluntly "Who you used to fantasize about."

Xander gave her a lopsided grin "Welcome to the family."


	8. Some Down Time

Beer Bad  
By: chosenfire  
Spoilers: BtVS post season 7, Supernatural season 1  
Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Xander/Faith, possibly Willow/Oz (let me know)  
Disclaimer: Okay I rock at the vague disclaimers so I DO NOT OWN, that's all I'm going to admit to.  
Summary: Dean Winchester finds himself married to a blond Vampire Slayer in Vegas and the two must make a decision while trying to hide their nighttime activities, not to mention the fact that Dean's little brother is Buffy's best friend.

AN: This is a long time coming, a really really long time but finally its here. Thank you to everyone who has supported this story, I love you guys and I hope you continue to get lost in this fic. I was amazed to hear that this was a story that got a lot of people into the Buffy/Dean pairing and I just want to say Thank You. Okay this chapter will be leading it up to the great reveal and there are a lot of things going on it. I focus heavily on the couples, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Buffy/Dean, and even Willow/Oz whose secret is revealed. They all have a tender moment and there are some explanations and jokes. Love it, hate it (but please don't) let me know and I promise to get the next chapter out a lot sooner.

AN2: Chapter title referring to the fact that this will be the last calm chapter before the plot starts moving forward and a whole bunch of twists are thrown in. So enjoy because there from now on I plan to go for more angst, fluff, and twists.

**POLL** – One of the couples gets trapped together, vote out of Dean/Buffy, Dawn/Sam, Faith/Xander, or hell you can even vote for them all.

**Chapter 8 Some Down Time**

The tension hung heavily around the table as the occupants drifted into silence. Three pairs of hostile female eyes glared at Dean and he just sat stiffly returning dirty look for dirty look.

He stood up quickly when he saw Buffy making her way back to them. Ignoring Xander who stood beside her Dean grabbed Buffy's arm gently leaning n to tell her "We need to talk?"

Buffy sighed looking over at her friend's stoic faces then back at Dean and nodded.

Xander watched Dean lead Buffy away his eyes boring a hole into his brother's back the hurt in them palpable. So this was it was going to be, he was just going to ignore him. He had done at before why shouldn't this be any different. He felt Faith's hand slip into his and he turned to her.

Willow's cellphone went off breaking the awkward silence that had been left and she smiled sadly when she read the caller ID and gave Xander a quick smile before standing up to find a place a bit more private to take this call.

"It's Oz." She explained to Dawn before she left and she nodded in understanding knowing something big had been going on with Oz and Willow lately.

The youngest Summers watched her walk away and then looked over to Xander and Faith who were completely absorbed in each other.

Looks like they had stop deluding themselves with the thought that people didn't know they were together.

She turned to Sam whose eyes were glued in the direction that Dean had disappeared.

It was just like him to leave him surrounded by angry females and Xander, who at any moment would realize that while Sam hadn't completely abandoned him he had never stuck around for long. Sometimes Dean could be really cruel.

Dawn studied Sam's profile and there was no denying the man was a hottie. She caught a quick wink from Faith and impulsively grabbed Sam's hand pulling him up with her as she stood. She plastered on a big smile "Lets go for a walk," Dawn suggested breathlessly her nerves going crazy at the contact.

Oh yeah, a definite hottie.

He looked over at Xander clearly concerned and his older brother hid a snort as he saw the Dawnster doing some maneuvering "Go ahead, I'll be fine." Dawn could be tenacious as a bulldog when she saw something she wanted and clearly she wanted Sam.

While the thought of Dawn, who was like a little sister to him, flirting with his younger brother made him uneasy Xander wouldn't stop her. As she had told them time and time again she was old enough to maker her own decisions.

Dawn told Sam gaining some confidence "Don't worry," she gave him an impish grin "Faith will take care of him besides they need some alone time." When it looked like he was about to argue she slipped in "And Buffy and Dean went to talk so it might be awhile, do you really want to hang around her till they get back.?"

Sam looked down into her teasing blue eyes and his gut clenched and he shook his head thinking he would probably regret this later "Okay, what do you have in mind?"

She grinned up at him flirtatiously her blue eyes twinkling with mischief "So tell me Sam Winchester, can you dance?"

* * *

"So how are you?" Willow asked Oz nervously pacing back and forth in the deserted banquet hall she had slipped into.

Last week Oz had dropped a bomb on her and she hadn't heard from him since.

"I'm good." He said softly and she closed her eyes against the feeling his voice arise in her. It took her back to a time when the world only ended in May and things made sense. Now, things were a lot more complicated. She hated having to be a grown up.

"I want to know if you're okay?" his concern from her came across clearly.

A bitter smile tugged at her lips "Honestly I don't know." She sighed dragging a hand through her hair her voice breaking "Oz how am I suppose to deal with this?" there was a note of desperation to her voice. She needed answers, she needed to know what he expected her to do about it.

"I don't know." He told her softly emotion finally slipping into his voice as he admitted to his own fears "I never thought we would have to deal with this." There was a slight hesitation to his voice as he suggested "Maybe we should spend some time together, try to work things out in person."

Willow took a deep breath and exhaled saying shakily "We could do that, it would be good. Just talking, we've talked before." It seemed that everytime she was around him she became seventeen again. She had hated being seventeen. She rubbed her temple where a headache was just starting to form "I guess we'll talk later."

"Definitely." There was a long pause before he told her tenderly "You know I'll never stop loving you." His voice brought her back to those long summer nights when she would lay curled up in his arms as he whispered his love for her in her ear.

A solitary tear slipped down her cheek for what they had lost "I know," she whispered softly "Bye." She hung up knowing she couldn't talk to him any longer. It hurt too much and sometimes she needed to get away for awhile.

She pressed the heel of her hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs that where trying to break out. Oz had told her something he had learned since they had last been together. Something that had stunned her completely.

During that summer they had been closer than ever in every way possible and unaware he was doing it, unaware of anything to do with the part of him that was the wolf Oz had claimed her as his mate and werewolves apparently mated for life.

Daniel Osbourne, who had once fervently wished to be free of the curse that turned him into a ferocious beast three days out of the month had learned to embrace the wolf fully as a part of you he was and had found himself pushed into the role of an alpha male in werewolf society.

Something to do with being influenced by the Hellmouth for his first change and spending his fledging years there constantly exposed to whatever mystical forces the Hellmouth attracted.

He was stronger, faster, and had more control than most werewolves twice his age.

As an alpha male he was expected to mate and he had been told he had already unconsciously chosen a mate in Willow. They were bonded together and they would both have to deal with the repercussions that entailed.

* * *

"Sit I hate this." Xander groaned pacing back and forth across he soft blue carpet of the hotel room he was sharing with Faith.

Of all the things life could do to bite him in the ass throwing his past in his face when things were first starting to look up tore out a chunk.

Seeing Sam and Dean had been too much too soon. He had felt betrayed by them and nothing was going to change that. Dean most of all though, because Dean had been the one to tell him since he could remember that he would always be there for him and he would always protect them.

Instead Dean had followed John's example and had slowly cut Xander out of his life starting with the day he had been left with his mom and Tony.

What Xander feared most though was that he wouldn't remain angry. That he would regress into the scared boy that just wanted his father and brothers and if he had them then everything would be fine.

His shoulders were tensed as the days events took its toll.

Faith came up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist "Relax babe." She purred into his ear her hands sliding up under his shirt and over his sculpted abs, he mouth pressed against his neck as her tongue slid against his skin.

It had been her idea in the first place to keep their budding relationship a secret. She didn't do well in relationships and felt it would just be worse if everyone was always watching them waiting for one of them to trip.

Xander's eyes closed as his breathing got ragged "It's impossible to relax when you're doing that." He muttered and she laughed her voice husky in his ear.

He turned in her arms taking possession of her mouth as they both warred for dominance and his hands gripped the bare skin that her too short top exposed. He pushed her back to the bed and the back of her knees hit the corner as she sank down to the soft mattress wrapping her arms around his neck and dragging him down with her refusing to lose his mouth.

Finally she pulled her mouth away from his dragging off his T-shirt as her lips locked unto his bare skin and her tongue licking its way up his chest.

He groaned when her hands went to his belt and he cupped her head as she continued to kiss him.

A loud shrill broke the haze of lust that surrounded them and Faith cursed pulling away her eyes blazing anger as she was interrupted. She was horny dammit.

Xander flopped down on the bed beside her pouting his eyes closed as he tried to cool down his teeth clenched as every nerve in his body screamed for a quick release.

Faith dug her cellphone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Yeah." She growled frustrated aher body tightly coiled.

* * *

Buffy let Dean lead her into a deserted corner of the dining room tampering down any anger she might feel at being manhandled. The anger was there, she was just suppressing it.

He let go of her arm and started to pace back and forth agitation coming off him in waves.

She just leaned against the wall and waited.

He turned and glared at her "I've decided that this is still your fault." He nodded liking his train of thought "Yup"

She stared at him stunned "Hey you were drunk too so don't go putting this all off on me."

"Yeah well," he searched "You're the ones who is bestest buds with my bitch of a brother so all this is your fault."

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the wall "I'm not doing this again."

He stood in front of her stopping her escape "Stay," he gritted out "I'm an asshole okay, this is just too damn much of a coincidence." He buried his hands in his pockets his shoulders falling in defeat, he always screwed these things up. Why couldn't he just spend the rest of his life shooting things, he was really good at that.

She shook her head and laughed bitterly "Someone up there must really not want us to do this cause things keep getting in the way." Why in the hell were they even trying to make this marriage work, it was obvious it wasn't meant to be because if something this hard couldn't be right.

"Then lets not." Dean said forcibly and Buffy looked up at him stunned.

He continued "Let's not all this crap get in the way, I like you, you like me. We're both exceptionally hot so why not give this a go." He snorted "That little sister of your is a brat but she was right about this."

"Dean," Buffy said exasperated "We can't just decided this is gonna work and it works." She paused looking up at him questionably "Can we?"

He smirked "Why not?"

She shook her head a smile touching her lips laughter in her voice "This is crazy," she looked at him "you're crazy." She let out a laugh "We both are."

"So?" he held out his hand a question in his eyes "We gonna do this or not cause I really would love to see Alexander's face when we start making out in front of him."

Buffy snorted "You're evil." Her hand slipped into his as she made a decision to jump for once in her life without knowing where she was going to land.

* * *

Dawn pulled him onto the dance floor the music pulsing around them as they began to sway together to the beat their bodies pressing against each other.

"You've done this before." Dawn grinned her hands slipping up his chest to go around his neck as it changed to a slow song.

Sweat bedded his forehead as his hands slipped around her waist pulling her closer to him. "What can I say," Sam smiled "I am a man of many talents."

"So," she looked up at him her blue eyes going from playful to serious "You're really Xander's brother." She stared at him critically her gaze assessing. When he nodded she laughed "That's just weird, Xander used to baby sit me," her eyes went wide "and that's not something I want you to know."

Sam grinned her mirth infectious "Probably not." He held her closer feeling more comfortable with her in his arms. "So can I ask you something?" he twirled her around.

She giggled "Shoot."

"Why do you want Dean and Buffy's marriage to work?" he asked her confused "You already have established you don't like him."

"First of all," Dawn defended "I never said I didn't like him, he just bugs me and why wouldn't I want they're marriage to work." She looked down embarrassed "It would be nice to see Buffy happy for once, and I think maybe Dean could make her happy."

"Yeah." Sam agreed knowing that if things were different Dean and Buffy would make a great couple, hell Buffy might have even been able to make his brother open up but what they did, it didn't fit in with happily ever after. Rarely was there a happy ending and must often things ended in blood, fire , and death.

Sam felt the need to defend his older brother 'Dean isn't such a bad guy, he just doesn't connect with people easily and the shit with Xander, Dean was there, Xander just didn't know it."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked confused.

Sam explained "Dean checked in on Xander after Sunnydale, a couple of months ago he got wasted and told me he said saw me and Xander together in that bar. Apparently he had been following us around all night and once he was sure we were okay he took off."

Dawn was stunned "Why didn't he say anything?" they had been throwing insults at him and he hadn't even bothered to defend himself. Didn't he know that if Xander had known that then things wouldn't have been so bad.

Sam shrugged as the next song was another slow one "Because he's an idiot."

Dawn snorted agreeing and leaned her head on Sam's shoulder letting her eyes drift closed as he held her closely. She moaned into his chest when her cellphone went off the ring tone of Welcome to Jungle telling her it was Faith.

She really wished she could ignore it but the last time she had the world had almost literally ended. She pulled it out of her back pocket flipping it open "Hello."

"We have a lead Little D, B wants you back at the hotel in an hour." Faith sounded pissed and Dawn couldn't blame her, from the way the Slayer had been looking at Xander she had obviously been interrupted in the middle of something and whatever they were hunting was going to end up paying for that.

Dawn wasn't in the best of moods either.

Sam was an exceptionally good dancer.


	9. And the Games Begin

Title: Beer Bad  
Author: Chosenfire  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners (the gods that are Whedon and Kripke) and while they are getting rich off it I make no profit from playing with their characters like my personal bendy dolls. :D  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Willow/Oz  
Spoilers: BtVS post Chosen, SPN season 1"Provenance"  
Summary: Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up and a Vampire Slayer.

A/N: When most of you saw this you probably died of shock, yeah I am back in the swing of things and with a summer spent in front of the computer I will now (hopefully) be updating this fic regularily. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are all mine and I am apologizing in advance cause not only do I not have a beta but I don't even have spellcheck. With that said I hope this chapter is worth the wait and if you guys remeber I said it would be the big one, well its more like the long one before the big one.. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

A/N2: Also I couldn't resist I started with a flashback, remember how Sam told Dawn that Dean had come to check on Xander he just hadn't showed himself, well here's what happened Dean's POV.

**Chapter 9 And the Game Begins**

Dean rubbed at his eyes switching on the TV as he made his way into the front room and instantly mutting it not wanting to deal with the noise just wanting the light. He headed to the kitchen that was connected to the living room of Caleb's ranch home his steps slow and unnnatural his mouth set in a grim line as pain shot through his siude and his head at every step he took.

The last hunt had been a bitch and he had made it out with a mild concusion and two broken ribs. His father had it worse though, Caleb had threatened to drug him if he so much as sat up and Dean was once again thankful he was Caleb's favorite.

Of course he would only test the old Hunter's patience when the guy was fast asleep after putting up with his father all day. He wasn't the reckless Winchester.

Dean reached for a beer popping the top and going to sit on the couch taking a quick sip and letting his body sink into the couch feet coming up to rest on the coffee table only causing Dean a small amount of pain as he let his battered body relax. He switched through the channels beer help loosley in one hand remote in the other.

They had hunted down a pack of devil dogs and John Winchester had threatened to take a match to Caleb's precious house if he took him to the hospital. Caleb had reluctantly dragged the stubborn ex-Marine back to his place and Dean was surprised he was putting up with his Dad's shit to begin with instead of knocking him out with some of the illegal medication he kept around.

Still he wasn't about to question his good fortune about finally having some time to himself and not being the one everyone fussed over, especially Caleb. With his Dad laid up the guy was actuaely buying Dean's claim that he was perfectly fine and that the cut on his head didn't make him feel dizzy in the least.

Dean finally settled on the news watching as an attractive weather girl preened for the camera in front of a moving map obviously knowing that no one was looking at the temperatures when she wore a shirt that looked three sizes to small.

Dean was just gettng comfortable considering if he could push it and take a quick map on the touch when breaking news flashed across the screen the picture changing to show a large crater that strechted for miles the words Sunnydale,California at the bottom.

Dean sat up ignoring the way his body protested at the sudden movement his face taking on a haunted look as he unmuted the sound.

He listened his normally tan face paling as he realized what had happened. The town his little brother lived in was now nothing more than a giant crater having caved in because of unstable sewer networks and tunneling and a series of large earthquakes over the year. Apparently the town had been prewarned and many had evacuted before hand but bodies were being found in the rubble.

Dean reacted automatically panic and dread making his gut tightened as he moved reaching for his boots that lay by the front door and his beaten brown leather coat that had been tossed on the floor by them. He slipped it on hands already wrapping around the keys Caleb had tossed on the Kitchen counter and as he turned to leave he found himself face to face with the man that had once threatened to chain him to the bed when he had come down with a fever at the age of 17 and had tried to follow his father and brother on a hunt.

"Just where and the hell do you think your going Ace?" Caleb demanded eyes narrowed his arms crossed as he leaned against the front door.

Dean might be a damn fine hunter but Caleb had snuck up on him without him even hearing a sound.

Dean's hands tightened on the keys and he didn't even blink as he told Caleb "Get out of my way." He didn't have time to be rational or polite. He would apologize later but right now he had to leave, he had to know if his brother was okay.

Caleb studied him asking unwaiveringly "Where's the fire kid?"

Dean breathed out raggedly "Sunnydale's a freaking crater, I just have to make sure he's okay." he didn't need to say anymore, hell he couldn't say anymore if he wanted to.

Caleb nodded moving aside to give Dean a clear path out of there "Do you want me to tell your Dad?"

Dean paused as he opened the door his face impassive as he considered the guys valid question. He shook his head "No, don't tell him." and left without a backward glance making his way to the black Impala that waited for him in the driveway.

When Alexander had flat out told them not to come to his graduation Dad had taken it like a physical blow clamming up and going from hunt to hunt being reckless and almost getting himself killed. When he had gotten the wedding invitation it had been two weeks late and when he had called Xander as his little brother was calling himself now had hung up on him. Dean had tried to call him too only to get the same treatment and they had given up, Sam had left and Xander had closed the door they had tried to keep open.

Dean knew it was better if his father, who was more banged up than he let on, healed. Because the instant he found out Xander might be hurt even Caleb's best drugs wouldn't keep him away. Dean didn't want to see Xander shut him out again, hell he knew why the kid was doing it but it was better for both of them this way.

Dean just had to make sure tha he was okay, the same way him and his father often checked on Sammy to make sure he was okay. Just watching, just checking up on the members of their family that had always been protected.

Hell their dad had trailed after Xander for three months adter he had graduated while Dean had watched over Sam at Bobby's. He had even managed to get him a ride back home without him even knowing it.

Dean gunned it driving all night and catching a few hours of sleep as dawn broke getting back behind the wheel and hitting the crater of the place that had once been Sunnydale midday. He made him inquiries and was sent to L.A where a survivor by the same of Alexander Harris, and that part really made him itch, was reported to have settled.

He found the address and the nearest bar fading into the backgroun and watching as the broad shouldered man who took after there father in the looks department sat a glass of water in hand his head bowed. This man who hunched into himself obviously not lacking in the height department.

This wasn't the starry eyed kid that had followed him around asking endless questions about where he and Dad always went and why Dean kept a knife under his pillow even at five years old doubting Dean was a cowboy cause then he would have a gun and he wasn't an Indian cause dad kept the bow.

The gangly teenager that had tried to repair a broken blue montrousity and had shirts Dean woouldn't be caught dead wearing.

Dean watched hands buried in his pockets leaning casually against the wall. A small smile slipped on his lips as he saw a taller man slip onto the stool next to Xander placing a hand on his back on comfort and sharing a bitter toast. Dean had expected to see Sammy, hell he had been counting on it knowing it would take more time than he wanted to to stop by Palo Alto and check on him too.

Xander turned slightly ordering drinks and Dean saw the bandaged cut by his eye showing that he hadn't made it out of the crater totally unscathed.

Dean made himself comfortable prepared to watch his two little brothers all night the knawing pain in his gut lessening a little with the drink he had gotten himself. He would keep his eyes open and follow the boys back to wherever they were staying then he would find a hospital a couple of towns over and check himself in before he passed out.

* * *

Buffy got the call as they were making their way back to the table and she quickly made her excuses hurrying to Faith's room growing less confident about the decision they had made as she got further away from him.

He made her laugh, he made her smile, but what did she really know about Dean Winchester other than, according to Xander, he was a lousy brother.

What if he was a lousy husband, what if he snored, what if he found out she ran around in cementaries in the middle of the night with a wooden stick and tried to have her committed?

"And I thought I was in a bad mood," Faith commented drily as Buffy entered the room her face flushed and her eyes wild "makes me feel better that I'm not the only one being deprived."

"We weren't having sex," Buffy denied instintly as she flopped down on Faith's bed "I think I just agreed to give this marriage a chance." She glared halfheartedly at the gold band on her finger her mouth forming into a pout. She didn't even like gold, and she had wanted a big shiny engagement ring before she got married so she could get all giggly and girly over it

"Good for you." Faith congratualted offhandedly then seeing Buffy's strained faced amended it "Or not."

Buffy sighed closing her eyes in frustration gritting out "I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing." She sat up looking at Faith "Where's Xander?"

"He went to get the supplies." Faith told her starting to pace again asking bluntly "How long have you guys known?"

Buffy bit her bottom lip to keep back a smile "Honestly since before you did." She then furrowed her brow and glared at Faith "Hey we were talking about my crisis here." She traced the plain gold band and sighed again "Not that theres much to talk about cause I can't be married." she said firmly her voice lacking conviction.

Faith grinned "Keep telling yourself that B, hey at least you could do worse cause your guys not lacking in the looks department." Her smile turned bitter "Just in the brains and familal obligations." She rolled her eyes muttering "I can't believe I'm getting involved in this, its not my problem."

Buffy gave her a sympathic smile "Welcome to the world of dating," she considered "You know I never had to put up with meeting my boyfriends families, they were either all dead or in another state, except for Drusilla and Darla I guess they would count as Angel's family and so would Spike and I sort of dated him so..."

"Can you be anymore self centered?" Faith asked interupting Buffy who grinned. It worked everytime. Really she didn't know what Faith would do without her, she might actualey have to panic and admit she was in a committed relationship.

Buffy smiled softly "All I'm saying is it could be worse," she threw Faith's words back at her "Dean and Sam don't seem to be psychopathic vampires and I think they care about Xander." she shook her head a small smile playing on her lips "How do we get involved in these things?"

Before Faith could answer Dawn ran into the room breathless declaring "I'm not late." Her face was flushed and her eyes were sparkling.

Buffy looked over at Faith then to Dawn "I didn't know there was a time limit."

Dawn looked at her then turned to glare at Faith "You told me Buffy wanted me here in an hour."

Faith shrugged "Well I lied."

"So why are we here again?" Buffy asked getting down to business Dawn sitting down besider her.

"We got a call from our favorite little nerd," Xander said coming into the room a heavy duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He dropped it on the floor the noise inside indicating it carried their personal stash of monster fighting tools. He faaaced them and Buffy was reminded that he was a damn good Watcher even if he complained about it a lot "A Slayer disappeared here about a week back, we weren't told because she was just discovered missing and her frineds said this was the area she last called them from."

Buffy sighed closing her eyes briefly "Where's Willow?"

Xander gave her a small smile "Catching a flight, her and Oz have some things to work through and I told her we could handle this."

Buffy nodded and squared her shoulders "Okay Watcher man, why with the secrecy, what was she up to?"

When Xander didn't say anything just looking uncomfortable Buffy understood. There were two types of Slayers. Girls like Keneddy who grabbed their destiny and hit the ground running going out of there way to prove themselves at every opportunity they were given and then there were girls like Rona, who didn't want to be special and learned the basics out of neccesity so thaaat they could protect themselves and the people they cared about.

Rona was currently the head Slayer at the Cleveland base where her and Keneddy were stationed. Keneddy was reckless while Rona was dependable.

They had lost a lot of young girls like Keneddy who had taken stupid chances and gone on patrolls alone or sought out demons just to prove themselves.

"What was she after?" Buffy asked softly the mood in the room growing somber. This wasn't the first time they had had to deal with this and what made it even more depressing was the fact that they knew it wouldn't be the last.

Xander pulling out a folder passing it to Dawn who started to flip through it quickly handing it on to Buffy who passed it to Faith knowing Dawn would do the readig and Xander would make with the explaing. Besides she didn't want to see the pictures that were sure to be there.

"There's an abandoned hotel in the not so bright and plesaant part of town where local kids and amatuer paranormal experts have been vanishing for weeks, sometimes even months before one or two come back. Their drained and they die maybe a week or two at the most later." Xander took a deep breath "That's how it usually happens but Lacey didn't dissapear, she was found mutilated a couple days ago on the hotel's receiving floor words scrawled in blood on the wall." Faith passed the folder back to Buffy her face hardened and Buffy looked down.

The place was old and falling apart the walls blackened in places like there had been a fire and the pool of blood showed where the 19 year old girl's body had been left. Buffy looked at the wall Xander had indicated reading the words that looked straight out of a horror movie DONT CLOSE YOUR EYES.

"What does it mean?" Buffy asked handing the folder back to Dawn eyes zeroing in on Xander her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

Xander shook his head "Where not sure yet, Willow's going to work on it on the plane." He accepted the folder back from Dawn setting it in the table and crouching down on the bag unzipping it telling them "Lacey's picture was all over the papers as a Jane Doe and since the hotel has been crawling with people wanting to see the scene of the crime. We need to get in there and get rid of this thing before anyone else gets hurt." He pulled out an axe passing it to Faith and a crossbow tossing it to Dawn who immediately began checking it over slinging it over her shoulder and grabbing the axe he passed her.

The next weapon her pulled out was one they all knew and Buffy took the gleaming scythe with a firm grip death flashing in her eyes. Her and Xander's eyes locked and for a second she saw his harden similarily. Xander had been a Watcher for awhile now and he felt just as repsonsible for the girls as Buffy did.

The last weapon he pulled out was something he had worked on with Willow. He had designed it and she had made the ammunation. It looked like a simple handgun but there was nothing simple about the bullets. Xander who didn't have Slayer strength compensated with a gun that fired magic bullets that imploded in whatever they landed in. The bullets also were soaked in holy water and her a small sliver of wood just in case he was facing a vamp.

He tucked it into the small of his back and strapped on a couple of long daggers to his arms.

"So not to be the voice of reason but how are we suppose to walk out of here looking like this?" Daawn indicated the weaponsXander grinned "Willow has that covered." he checked his watch "We need to meet at the car in 15 minutes, change into whatever you gals wear when you kill stuff and we'll head out."

"Where have you been?" Dean demanded as Sam slipped into the room his face looking up at his brother in guilt. He looked flushed and their was a light in his eyes Dean hadn't seen since Sarah a coupleof weeks back.

"Did you and Dawnie...?" Dean asked suggestively making crude hand movements a wide grin on his face.

"God no." Sam denied vehmently looking at his brother in disgust "We just went dancing, get your head out of the gutter."

Dean grinned "Dancing huh," he shoved his hands in his pockets rocking back and forth on his heels "So why do you look like been caught hitting the skinmax channel?"

Sam flushed slightly the look of guilt returning to his face "I mght have told Daawn some things."

Dean stopped grinning "What things Sammy?"

The youngest Winchester grimaced "Oh you know, your stalkerish tendencies when it comes to your younger siblings."

Dean rolled his eyes "Oh that's great Sammy," his jaw tightened "I wonder how long thats gonna take to get back to the world's biggest pain"

"Hey I'm not the one you told a girl I knew for only two weeks the big family secret." Sam pointed out defensively.

Dean rolled his eyes "Oh thats reall mature Sammy," he growled "Don't worry I'm not about to make this mistake again."

Sam dragged a hand through his hair his face strained "I'm sorry Dean she just made it sound like you didn't give a crap about him." Hope filled his voice "Maybe this can give you guys a chance to fix things."

Dean sighed "I don't want to fix things Dr.Phil. We have a job to do and we'll always have a job to do. Nothing's changed there and Xander's better off leading the life he's had, remeber you said it, he has a normal life, he has a saf life." the last part wass aid firmly leaving no room for agrument.

This was another order of their father's that Dean was following. Hell they could watch Xander's life from a distance, check up on him even visit occasionally but they never really be a family. John Winchester had given up his middle child so that he could normal life and Dean was going to make sure thats what he had.

Dean went over to a stack of papers he had printed off after Buffy had left. He had made a trip by the library and had dug these up for Sam's benefit.

"So where does that leave Buffy?" Sam asked him softly comnig to stand beside him.

Dean felt his chest tighten. He would be the first to admit that he was quick to fall in love, he didn't believe in the whiole love on first sight crap but if cared for someone he didn't waste time making excuses and dancing around the issue. He had only known Cassie for two weeks and he had loved her.

Counting their drunken marriage Dean figured he had known Buffy for two days and while he couldn't say he loved her something was difinitely there. Under other circumstances he wouldn't have hesititated using the whole marriage thing to his advantage.

Dean said unemotionally "I'm legally dead Sam, until I find a way to convince her we've gotten a divorce we'll be stuck with her for awhile."

"And Xander." Sam stated bluntly grabbing the papers and reading over them "So what did you find out?"

"The latest vistim, 19 year old Lacey Campbell didn't vanish, she was ripped to pieces." Dean told Sam. They had gone to Vegas to investigate a local haunted hotel thaat took people and gave them back only to have them die weeks later of what appeared to be heartattacks.

Sam scanned the newspaper coverage Dean had printed out his forehead furrowing in confusion "That doesn't fit the MO."

"Tell me about it." Dean muttered handing Sam another paper. "So we might be dealing with more than one thing."

Sam studied the papers before folding them up and stuffing them in his pocket "So we go investigate the house see if we can pick anything up on EMF?"

"Bingo,"Dean grinned alreaady moving to grab his coat tossing Sam their Dad's journal "Check and see if it mentions what we might be dealing with, just in case bring more than a gun."

Sam nodded and he followed Dean out of the room, looks like they were on duty.

They entered the hotel Buffy having broke the lock the police had put on to keep people out. They didn't notice the emtpy car parked at the place next door. Buffy took the lead Xander behing her followed by Dawn and Faith taking the rear, two slayers with the normal people in the middle in case of anything attacked.

It was a well used system of theirs.

"When I said change into clothes you could kill in I didn't mean the sexual way." Xander whispered loudly the beam of his flashlight moving over the room.

Buffy looked down at her outfit with a pout "But its fashionisble."

Faith grinned turning to check the area they had entered the beam of her lgiht falling over a broken window "Giles gives Slayers an allowance for clothes each month just cause B wouldn't stop complaining."

Xander rolled his eyes "Slaying should be in loose clothing."

Buffy and Faith shared a look and Fiaht snorted "Oh you know you enjoy yhe outfits so stop bitching." Faith wore black leather pants and Buffy red both sporting form fitting black tank tops hair being the only thing that was loose on them. While Dawn wasn't wearing leather the denim jeans were tighter than it and the silk purple top had been in Buffy's bag before her little sister had snitched it.

"You guys are really immature." Dawn remarked going over to study the dusty pictures that were on the wall.

"Says the girl who is wearing my top for the second night in a row." Buffy remarked drily.

Dawn rolled her eyes continuing her pursuil and Buffy and Xander moved to check the blood on the wall Faith's flashlight moving over the floor looking for any prints or claw marks. Anything that could tell them what they were dealing with.

"Guys," Dawn called "I think we might have a problem." The other three stopped what they were doing Xander and Faith hanging back slightly as Buffy came to stand beside her sister.

"What?"

Dawn shone her light over the space on the wall that had until very recently sported another picture the wallpaper behind it white while the rest of the area was yellow "I think someone else might be in here."

"The cops could have taken it Dawnie." Xander remarked.

Dawn shone her light on where the nail had been yanked out of the wall making a tear "I seriously doubt that."

"We need to find out what picture that was." Buffy decided and they moved away from the wall going back to what they were doing Dawn staying with Buffy.

"I think little D might be right." Faith said as her flashlight went back to the floor footprints in the dust "We're no the only ones here."

When she said that there was a crash from above and they all turned off their lights. Dawn reached for the crossbow strapped to her back passing the sword to Faith who had the axe tucked into the waist band of her pants. Xander reached for his custom made gun and they moved to the stairs Buffy once again int he lead and Faith at the end.

"You've gotta be kidding me, you seriously think that guy in the picture is a part of this." Dean growled one hand holding a flashlight the other moving the EMF detector across the place Sam backing him up with his gun drawn.

They had bypassed the front doors in favor of a broken window which Dean had taken pleasure in breaking more so they could climb in. He had parked the car a house over insisting that he wasn't going to park his baby in front of a haunted house.

"The guy was the author of a series of horror novels that dealt with people going missing. He built the place Dean he could have been up to something."

"Yeah well did any of his books mentioned mutilated girls cause thats what we're dealing with."

"No but the people that vanished die so what if Nelson Zeeman is stepping up his game?"

"Wait," Dean paused "I got something." he pocketed the device moving to the area it had gone haywire in. It was a large shelf packed with little nick knacks and junl covered in over 50 years of dust. Dean grabbed it and heard a slight creak before he threw his body into Sam's pushing him out of the way as the thing came crashing down.

"Dean." Sam exclaimed turning to his brother at the damage he was causing.

Dean wasn't looking at him his eyes locked on what had been underneath the shelf "Pleas tell me that isn't what I think it is?" Dean whispered his voice strained.

Sam looked down the lines on his face tightening. The body had decomposed a long time ago only rotten bones remaining tucked into a ball a moth eaten dress deterioating with it. "She could have been anywhere from 5 to 10, looks like she's been here for awhile."

"I hate this job sometimes." Dean declared looking down at the dead child someone had obviously covered up and forgotten about.

"Dean," Sam's eyes went wide and he turned in the direction they had came from "Do you hear that?"

Dean turned his head concentrating on the sound "It sounds like growling." he muttered darkly and took off Sam right on his heels.

"Shit," Xander muttered stopping digging in his pockets for his cellphone.

Buffy grimaced glaring at him "Nice ring tone."

Xander grinned finally finding the phone the noise getting louder as he brought it out "It's from Jurassic Park, Andrew got it for me."

Buffy nodded smiling indulgently "I can see that." She looked over at Faith who just shrugged indicating she might be screwing the guy but she wasn't responcible for his taste in anything really.

"Hey Will, what do you got?" he asked his face brightening as he talked to the witch on the line the loud roaring stopping when he answered.


	10. Well Hello

Title: Beer Bad  
Author: Chosenfire  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners (the gods that are Whedon and Kripke) and while they are getting rich off it I make no profit from playing with their characters like my personal bendy dolls. :D  
Rating: PG-13  
Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Willow/Oz  
Spoilers: BtVS post Chosen, SPN season 1"Provenance"  
Summary: Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up and a Vampire Slayer.

A/N: Once again sorry for the wait although I'm happy this one was shorter than the last, if I make it my goal to have the time between updates get shorter and shorter I'll have a much happier audience and a longer story lol. So this is the big reveal chapter, I've put it off for as long as possible. Enjoy the ride and remember to show me some love :D

**Chapter 10 Well Hello **

Willow looked out the small, oval window her mouth a tight line as she thought about what she was doing. A lap top sat on her lap another page loading on the screen and she was once agin thankful for the silence that filled the private cabin of the Council funded jet.

The luxuries that were at their disposal now where a far cry from a public school library and the ancient computer Giles had kept on hand for her.

Now with one phone call they could have any device, manpower, and texts at their disposal. There had been a time when all they had on hand was their ability to "acquire" what they need and Oz's van.

Oz, that was where Willow was heading. She had thought he was in Budapest or Istanbul or some other place learning how to control the wolf after he had dropped his bombshell but as it turned out he was at the Council Headquarter's in Cleveland waiting for her.

Xander had assured her that they had everything covered and to go, if anything came up that they couldn't handle they'd call an d she could just zip right over. She had refrained from reminding him that "zipping" took a lot of energy out of her and it was faster to use the jet.

Not to mention safer.

Willow had thought she had had time to adjust to the whole her being Oz's "mate" but his message haad been urgent and very the guy that had mastered calm it had worried her. She was scared and nervous and more excited than she liked to admit at seeing him.

It seemed like a life time ago she had been the girl with Oz, the girl he had fallen with had been shy and bubbly, the Willow of Oz time had been uncertain and so ready to prove herself, to see what the world held for her.

Willow knew now, she knew who she was and what she was capable of. She was confident in that knowledge and sometimes she even feared what she could do. She was guarded and had been to a place that had fractured her soul.

She didn't know if Oz could love the new her when she didn't even want to look too closely at what she had become.

She missed the innocence, but then they all did. Her, Xander, Buffy, Faith, even Dawn had aged and had scars of her owns besides the ones on her arms from Glory..

Willow frowned at what was coming up on her computer screen and she rapidly typed in another command as she worked on something else to distract herself and solve a puzzle that was nagging at her.

She had watched Dean and Sam and something about the way they had moved, especially Dean, had seemed familiar. The first thing that had stood out was how careful they were. Sure some people were neat but Willow hadn't expected a brother of Xander's to be able to move through a crowded restaurant without bumping into a single person.

It wasn't anything big but Willow had found it odd and she had learned to trust the instincts that had guided her over the years. It had been Dean that had held her interest and not just because all Xander's animosity had been aimed at him.

Dean was confident and charming, he had a way of even making Dawn, who claimed to hate him, almost smile. But he was, Willow had observed, even more guarded than Faith and that was a feat in itself.

Willow paled as she read the report and her hand instantly reached for the pink phone in her pocket fingers shaking slightly as she opened it and dialed Xander's number.

It rang and she consumed the report in front of her feeling a pit of dread in her stomach.

This was bad, really really bad.

"What Will, what do you got?" Xander's happy voice came across to her and Willow felt her heart breaking as she looked at the all too familiar picture on the screen of Xander's oldest brother.

Her heart was breaking for him because she knew despite all his protests and words to the contrary Xander loved Dean fiercely.

"Xan I think something bad is going on." Her voice choked as she tried to find the words.

"What?" his tone grew serious.

Willow took a deep breath and told him hurriedly "According to the police report I'm reading Dean Winchester died four months ago, he was suspected of several murders in the St. Louis area."

"No," Xander's voice came across as firm and determined "It wasn't him, there was to be some mistake."

Willow's voice softened "There isn't, there was a funeral. Dean Winchester is legally declared as dead."

"Dead men can't get married Will." Xander whispered softly his voice tight and breaking and he sounded so young and lost.

"I'm sorry." Willow didn't know what else she could say and she closed her eyes against the truth that she had uncovered.

"Don't be." Her best friends voice was clipped and laced with steel "Willow, I know my brother, I don't like him half the time, but I know him and he's not dead. He's an asshole and Dawnie wants to do him in but he's not dead, look into it, we'll get to the bottom of it."

"Xander…" Willow began but was cut off.

"Trust me okay, Dean is alive and whatever's going on we'll figure it out, he's alive."

She sighed favorting the page "Okay, if I find anything else I'll call you."

"Good luck," she heard a shout in the back ground and Xander muttered something telling her quickly "Gotta go, we have company." The phone clicked off and Willow closed it tucking it back into her pocket and with halting hands began to gather all the information she could on the Winchesters.

She had needed something to distract her and now she had it.

* * *

"Someone's coming fast." Faith barked at Xander and he hung up on Willow swiftly pocketing the phone and lifting the gun in his hand moving in front of Dawn and beside Faith Buffy a couple of steps ahead on his other side. He could feel the pounding of footsteps on the floor and he braced himself aiming his favorite toy on the space in the hallway.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Buffy move closer to the wall raising the Scythe, the pristine surface gleaming wickedly and he could feel the rush of air behind him as he heard the click of a crossbow bolt in place Dawn taking careful aim over his shoulder, she was protected by him like they had done so many times before.

Dawn was a lot like Buffy and refused to sit out on a fight so they had learned to compromise. She didn't have the strength of a Slayer either but she was a damn decent shot, better than Buffy even, and Willow had taught her a couple little surprises if it came down to a fight.

She was a Scooby through and through and she could hold her own as well as he could, probably better as he got older and she learned the sun spell Willow was still getting the hang of.

Sometimes it made him feel old to see the next generation ready to take his place.

Mostly it just made him proud and he would want Dawn over any of the new Slayers watching his back, she was his family.

"Let Xander take the first shoot." Buffy muttered her eyes locked on the hallway ahead as they advanced as a unit.

"I know that." Dawn's exasperated voice reached him as from a distance as everything seemed to go in slow motion as he saw who they were about to crash with around the corner.

Buffy and Faith where faster, pulling themselves into a holding position clearly stunned but weapons at ready. Dawn had hung back crossbow wavering but still aimed at the two familiar men that faced them guns drawn shock registering across their features.

Xander was a scant few feet in front of him his gun so close it could almost touch theirs and he was the only one that didn't look like one of the sitcom characters when someone yelled surprised.

His mouth curled into a bitter smile and the gun was aimed at the air between Sam and Dean as he asked almost conversationally "So you're reporter's huh?" he snorted eyes glittering dangerously "What cover did daddy give you this time?"

He had always wondered. After he met Buffy he had asked her and Giles offhanded questions trying to figure out if the supernatural world had touched his life before he had met the Slayer and found out that he lived on a Hellmouth.

All the signs had been there, he had just been too young to see them, then he liked to think he had taken on the whole Sunnydale philosophy of denial. That his father hadn't spent a little too much time with his guns and speaking gibberish while spreading salt on the windows and the door. That Dean didn't sleep with a wickedly sharp knife under his pillow. That his father, who he believed loved and cared for him, hadn't left him on a Hellmouth of all places when he knew what was out there, hadn't left him alone to face it.

Dean looked at his little brother in stunned realization. Xander knew, not just about what they did but the darkness in the world they faced day in and day out. The darkness they had given him up so he would never know. The darkness they had tried to protect him from.

The way Xander held the gun pointed at him as pure Winchester, he didn't hold like he had watched too many cop movies, he held it like he had spent hours training and getting familiar with the mechanics of the weapon.

Dean did the only thing he could, he lowered his gun and smirked "No cover, haven't had time to think one up and dad is MIA."

Xander smiled sadly doing the same much to the confusion of the woman beside him "How like him."

Sam choose that moment to clear his throat having lowered his gun the instant he had recognized them "So you know?" he demanded stunned his eyes going from Xander to Buffy to Dawn to Faith neither of them looking uncomfortable with the arsenal they had at their disposal.

"Know what," Dawn demanded lowering the crossbow her eyes going wide as she tried to look innocent a nervous smile on her face "what do we know, we don't know anything."

"So, what, you're here on a medieval tour." Dean snorted disbelieving.

Xander shrugged "We we're going to go with shooting a documentary, hidden cameras and all that."

Dean looked from Xander to Buffy who had lowered the Scythe and was peering at him like he was an unpleasant puzzle "So you guys are amateur demon hunters?" he asked looking at the group his brother had gotten himself in.

Faith huffed "I'm not an amateur at nothing baby." She turned to Xander trying to hide her concern.

There was a low hum and they looked around weapons being raised and the two groups seemed to merge as one as they went on the defense. Something began to growl and Dawn broke the tense silence "I'm going out on a limb and saying that growlings not good."

Sam moved to stand beside her his gun raised as he searched for the source and Dean moved between Buffy and Xander as the lights began to flicker on and off.

"So you work at a school?" Dean muttered out of the side of his mouth at Buffy.

She didn't look at him every muscle tensing as she gritted out "Now's really not the time, and I do work at a school, you didn't ask what kind of school." Shadows began to dance on the walls the floors shook. The group moved closer together and the growling intensified.

The lights flickered and an unnatural darkness surrounded them blocking out any source of light casting them in complete darkness cut off from the others.

Dawn screamed as something hit her fro behind and she felt a strong arm go around her waist and Sam's soothing voice in her ear as he dragged her away from what sounded like the low whir of electricity. Dawn heard a female voice scream before she gave into the darkness of her mind as a trickle of warm crimson slid down the side of her face.

"Dean." Sam screamed as he held Dawn's unconscious body easily in his arms feeling the panic grip him as an eerie silence met his calls. "Xander." He yelled hopelessly and he kept his back to the hard reality of the wall moving until he hit a corner. He sank with Dawn in his arms feeling unexplicable tired and she lay cradled on his chest breathing steadily.

"B," Faith croaked out weakly felling her eye lids close as her body shut down without her permission. Something had hit her hard and she had went down ready to spring back up and fight but finding she didn't have the energy to move.

"I'm still here." Buffy's voice was weak and reached her as if from a distance.

"Fuck." Dean uttered as he threw his body out of the path of the oncoming blow hitting the floor hard and twisting his shoulder. The gun held uselessly in his hand, the hallway was too narrow and crowded and he couldn't take the chance of shooting someone.

"I think I see a light." Xander muttered from beside him his hand clasping on to Dean's forearm and dragging him up.

Dean grunted wincing against the pain and offered "Lead the way then superstar." He pulled himself together letting Xander lead him and he saw it, a dim light up ahead. Since he had tossed out any religious belief long ago he had no apprehension about walking into the light, it looked a damn sight better than the unnatural darkness that had swallowed them up.


	11. Hi, My Name Is?

_A/N: This took longer than I thought it would but here you go. I want to thank those that have reviewed this story, you guys are awesome and make me want to write more for this. So with that said people please review just so I know you are still reading lol. Constructive criticism is welcome but keep in mind I am getting the chapters (including this one) beta'd and will be replacing them as I go. Enjoy and let me know what you think._

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**Chapter 11 Hi, My Name is?**

Sam groaned as he was pulled into the world of consciousness and he buried his face deeper into the warmth next to him trying to escape the brilliance of the sunlight on his face. "You forgot to close the curtains again." He mumbled trying to grasp the last trails of sleep his voice coming out gruffly.

"Sorry." A soft voice whispered tiredly and he felt her body curve into his as she turned her head now tucked under his chin. Sam knew it was time to get up and he sighed pulling her close briefly and pressing a quick kiss to her forehead "As much as I would like to, we can't lay in bed all day." He whispered against her skin and sat up stretching his sore muscles as he looked around the sunlight filled room.

He looked back down at the brunette's glaring blue eyes "I hate you." She mumbled sitting up and dragging a hand through her long hair.

Sam grinned "No, you don't." and it turned into a frown as he saw the nasty bump on her forehead "Must have been some party last night."

She explored the area gently wincing "Must have, I don't remember running into a door."

Sam got up and pulled out and moved to the bathroom his voice reaching her "You know I don't remember drinking that much." He came out a wet towel in hand.

She shrugged "I don't remember drinking at all." He sat back down on the bed next to her and gently ran the towel of the bruised cut cleaning off the dried blood and dirt. Giving her a soft smile he pressed a kiss to the area "There, all better."

She fluttered her eyelashes playfully before bouncing up and Sam watched the smile still on his lips as she moved about the room pulling out a flowery dress from the dresser. She turned to him as she pulled it on her eyebrow raised "You know you can't sit there all day, we're supposed to meet my sister and Faith for breakfast."

Something nagged at the back of his mind but Sam pushed it away shaking his head slightly "I'm sure they'll be fine if we're a little late."

A mischievous smile danced on her lips and Dawn moved to him straddling his lap whispering huskily "But I want pancakes."

He grinned pressing a quick kiss to her lips "Yes Ma'm." She bounced back up and Sam moved to get dressed ignoring the sensation that something wasn't right and followed his girlfriend because everything was fine, everything was exactly as it should be.

"Great thinking genius," Dean growled as he paced the room "follow the freaking light because it couldn't possibly be a trap." His voice dripped with sarcasm and he tossed a hard glare Xander's way as he continued to pace his movements jerky and stiff.

"Yeah, well I didn't see you with any bright ideas," Xander groaned as he shifted on the hard stone floor trying to find a comfortable position and he said off handedly his voice almost innocent "come to think of it, I didn't see you with any ideas at all."

Dean stopped smirking "Yeah, aren't you so funny, really man you're hilarious, we're going to die but you're funny." He went back to pacing his eyes scanning the walls and he whistled sharply before Xander could anything "Hey Sparky, found the door."

Xander slowly got to his feet wincing and limped over to where Dean was his voice tired "It's probably more tunnels, I bet its more tunnels." They had found themselves in a series of tunnels that seemed to never end and after some pointless wandering and a quick nap or two they kept on walking looking for a way out.

Dean sighed "Yeah, well, we've got nothing else to do." They began to walk Dean slightly in the lead with Xander walking close behind him in the narrow passage way. To beat back the silence that seemed to settle over the every time one of them ran out of an insult to throw at the other Xander spoke "So how is the ghost hunting business?"

Dean looked at him sharply expecting sarcasm and when he saw that Xander looked sincere he shrugged "We've got good days and bad days and then there are the days were we get our ass kicked and have to visit the emergency room."

Xander nodded "Been there, not fun."

Dean tried to seem casual as he asked "So how'd you get into the business? The whole point of leaving you behind was so that you wouldn't."

Xander grimaced "That worked out so well." He looked sheepish "Sorry." apologizing for the sarcasm when Dean had honestly answered his question without it. "Funny thing, the town you guys left me in, Hellmouth, where the demons and bad things come to party."

Dean stopped; facing him stunned "What?"

Xander smiled sadly "Yeah, Sunnydale was a Hellmouth, I didn't know until I was 16 and one of my best friends became a vampire." he shook his head a bitter smile playing across his lips "Kind of couldn't ignore it after that. Then there was the thing with Buffy being..." his eyes widened and he stopped suddenly closing his mouth tightly.

Dean, who had been stunned by the revelation of what had happened to Xander's friend caught onto that last part after a beat "Buffy being a what, what is she?" His eyes widened fearfully "She's not a demon is she? Succubus, I bet she's a succubus, that girl has muscles that can't be natural, she did this thing..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Xander interrupted holding up his hands to stop the flood of information "While I am firmly in the Drool Over Buffy club I don't want to know what she does with her muscles," he grimaced "with my older brother, God my life is soap." He groaned. His estranged, older brother was married to his best gal pal who had been the center of his unrequited love drama in high school and from the ay things looked his other, more sane brother was being ensnared in the web of his best gal pal's little sister who he used to baby-sit for AND who had a crush on him.

Dean snapped his fingers in front of Xander's face bringing him out of his daze "So if my new wife isn't a succubus what is she?"

Xander frowned his face suddenly going impassive as he reached a decision. His voice was soft but firm "You'll have to ask her, it's not my secret to tell." Before Dean could argue Xander old him "It's not that I don't want to tell you and the comic effect is tempting but if Buffy wants you to know she'll tell you, it's not exactly a big secret but things are too complicated." He indicated the situation of being stuck between his older brother and his best friend who was like a sister to him.

Truthfully, he was just covering his own ass. Once the Dean found out Buffy was a Slayer a whole lot of other things would inevitably come out, Willow being a witch and almost destroying the whole world, Dawn's keyness and through that almost destroying the world, and Faith's bad Slayerness and through her own, unique, all things forgiven, way almost destroying the world.

Xander frowned shaking his head, the tunnel was getting to him, and he hated these things.

Dean sighed "I can understand that." They started walking again and as they did he asked "She will tell me right?"

Xander grinned "Probably."

Dean turned to look back at him asking seriously "So we okay?"

Xander contemplated this for a moment before nodding "We're cool," he frowned "do you want to..."

Dean's eyes went wide and he walked faster in front of Xander "God no. You live with too many chicks man, we don't hug," he said the last part firmly "got it?"

Xander laughed "Got it."

Willow made her way up to the mansion like house on the hillside, she had drove to the gate and had decided to walk the rest of the way. She needed the fresh air to get her thoughts in order, prepare a speech, and maybe make note cards.

She had finally decided to go with Hi over Hello feeling it was more casual greeting given the situation when she saw him. He was sitting on one of the couch's the girls had placed on the patio so they could study outside in the summer.

He seemed to be studying his hands his forehead crinkled in concentration and when Willow saw his red hair gelled and spike in a familiar fashion she froze stopping in her steps.

She breathed out softly and his head flew up eyes locking on her intensely not surprised to see her. "Hey." he said softly rising.

Willow swallowed licking her dry lips and her mouth opened and closed no sound coming force. Finally she nodded a greeting and her hear beating loudly in her ears took the couple of steps up the porch to him.

Taking a deep breath she managed to whisper out "Hi."

They stood facing each other both unsure and finally Oz moved aside slightly indicating for her to sit. She did and he sat down beside her and Willow stared at the space between them trying to decide what it meant, did it have a meaning, was it meaningless, or was it a big meaning she should figure out, how could she tell if it had a meaning?

Oz broke the silence "You look good."

Willow looked up at him a small; nervous smile touched her lips "So do you. Look good I mean, you look good too. Not that you don't ever look good, because you always do, not that I'm saying you look good like Hubba Hubba, unless you want to look good, and I'll just..."

"I missed you." Oz interrupted, stopping the flow of words that didn't seem to stop. He smiled softly "I always missed you, everyday, even after..."

"Tara." Willow filled in softly a soft smile touching her lips.

Oz nodded "I heard, I'm sorry."

"So am I." She looked down at her hands than back at him "So you said over the phone that this was a wolf thing?"

Oz nodded "I've meet some other's like me, they helped me find control."

"So you don't go all furry when there's not a full moon?" Willow asked sympathically.

"Sort of, the taught me that the wolf is a part of me and I can't change that, they taught me to accept it." He shrugged "I control the wolf, sometimes I still struggle, full moons are the worse, but we're one and the same."

"Oh." Willow grinned happily taking Oz's hand in hers "I'm happy for you."

She looked down at their clasped hands a little bit surprised at her impulsive move and made to let go but Oz's grip tightened on hers. Not painfully, just holding on to her.

Willow meet his eyes and took a deep breath "So the other thing, the mating thing."

Oz laid it out there "Werewolves mate, the whole thing with Veruca," he referred to the blond werewolf that had tried to kill Willow and who he had killed to protect her "she was trying to claim me but it didn't work."

Willow, being the genius that she was, followed easily "Because you were already claimed."

"By you, you claimed me, or I claimed you, I'm not too sure on the details but the wolf claimed you as its mate."

"So?" Willow asked softly.

"We don't have to do anything, I want to be your friend again; I just have to be near you, I can feel you, how you feel, if you're in danger. I didn't understand it at first, when Tara died I felt it tear through me, I felt your rage like my own, I almost killed a couple of the guys but luckily they knew what was going on."

Willow paled remembering what she had done, remembering that place she had gone that she still felt inside her "Oh god Oz, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, I understand." He took a deep breath "When they told me I was relieved," he looked at her guilty "I knew you loved Tara, I knew you had moved on but I didn't want to let you go," he smiled softly "I guess I always looked forward to that day in Istanbul."

Willow grinned remembering what she had told them when they had last parted, that one day if she turned the corner in Istanbul and saw him she wouldn't be surprised. Secretly, she had been looking forward to it too. She had loved Tara, she had loved her with all her heart but Oz had been the first one to touch her heart, he had been the first one to make her love. Tara had understood that and now Willow was too.

"I want to try," she told him firmly her grip tightening on his "being friends, maybe something more, whatever it is, I want to try. I still love you Oz."

He smiled his smiles like the rest of him, deep and all consuming "I'm in, all the way."

Willow seemed to light up as all the worry dropped away and impulsively she launched herself into Oz's arms pressing a quick, nervous kiss to his lips "Good, so..."

Before she could finish one of the Slayers came out tension throughout her body her eyes clouded with fear "Willow," the witch and werewolf turned to look at her and her words hit them hard "we can't find them, any of them, it's like their gone."

Buffy laid the napkin on her lap smoothing the black, frilly dress she wore down her legs and she turned to the laughing couple as they entered the room "Took you long enough?" she teased a smile on her bright red lips. Her blond hair curled softly around her shoulders.

Dawn settled into the seat by Faith giving the brunette a quick grin "What can I say, we have better things to do than breakfast."

Faith grinned at Sam "I can see that."

He ducked his head a blush creeping up his cheeks and looked around the bustling dining room of the hotel "Did Sherry check out?"

Buffy nodded "Last night, her husband found a place." Buffy picked up the glass of water swirling it around in the cup before taking a small sip.

"Where did you get that?" Dawn asked her softly.

"I don't know." Buffy told her her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked at the golden wedding band on her left ring finger. She put the glass down spinning it slightly with her thumb as she tried to place the fleeting image of a face in her mind.

"I do hope you are enjoying your stay." Buffy looked up startled at the dark haired man who had came to stand beside her.

She smiled brightly ring forgotten "Yes, Mr. Zeeman, you have a wonderful establishment."

His smile widened as he looked at the group. He had jet black hair slicked back to the collar of his smart, expensive suit. His grey eyes were kind and he was somewhere in his late thirties. Buffy's moved to the dark haired little girl clinging to his side and she shivered slightly as the girls eyes locked on hers and the small mouth twisted into a half smile that wasn't reflected in her eyes.

"Is there anything you need Miss Summers?" he asked her softly. Buffy tore her eyes away from the little girl and shook her head returning the smile "Oh, no, we're fine, thank you." He nodded and turned away to see to someone else his daughter close to his side.

Buffy turned back to the group and she watched as Sam stared intently at the pair before looking back at her "So what were we talking about?"

They paused before Dawn put in tentatively "Our plans for the day, I was thinking we could go swimming, this place was the greatest pool."


	12. Nelson Zeeman

Title: Beer Bad  
Author: Chosenfire  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners (the gods that are Whedon and Kripke) and while they are getting rich off it I make no profit from playing with their characters like my personal bendy dolls. :D  
Rating: PG-15

Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Willow/Oz  
Spoilers: BtVS post Chosen, SPN season 1"Provenance"  
Summary: Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up and a Vampire Slayer.

_A/N: Sorry this took longer than I thought it would be, this chapter explains the bad guy and is a shorter one compared to the others, don't worry though, the next chapter is already being written and will be out Monday. Thank you to all of you who are following this story and have reviewed, favorited, or put it on their story alerts. Remember, the more reivews I get the faster I'll get out the next chapter :D_

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**Chapter 12 Nelson Zeeman**

The hotel was bustling with patrons the low murmur of voices a constant soundtrack for those that worked there and the dark haired man who had sunk a fortune he didn't have in the place smiled softly proud with what he had accomplished.

The paint was fresh and the wooden furniture gleamed under the lights.

Nelson Zeeman smiled to a departing couple and pulled his sleeve down to hide the ink stains his hand had accumulated during his latest writing spree. His hotel was booming, his books were selling fast, for him life was good.

He was a success.

Nelson moved through the crowd shaking hands and taking complaints with a smile. A hand locked on his arm in an iron grip fingers digging into the skin and he turned.

"We need to talk." The voice was evenly pitched and finely cultured with a British accent. The man, while not the tallest, commanded attention and his eyes bored into Nelson's "You are taking things too far."

Nelson's eyes were cold "You would think so wouldn't you," he pulled his arm out of the other man's grip his tone icy and final "I am only going to ask you once to leave." He walked away slipping into the crowd.

"The toilets are backed up in our room," one of the residents, a heavyset woman with thick red curls and a pale face caked in make-up told him her voice shrill "we expect to be compensated."

Nelson nodded his smile brittle "Of course Mrs. Perkins, I'll send someone up to take care of it." He steered her to one of the concierges "Until then we can move you to a private suite." After he got her settled he moved to one of the rooms off to the sides and opened the door stepping in softly.

She was small for her age and she appeared fragile, the pink dress was soft and had a bow around the waist that matched the one in her hair. She turned to him and a small smile lit her face and she tilted her head as she looked at him.

"Daddy." She breathed softly and barreled at him. Her steps were light and being so small she practically floated.

He caught her in his arms swinging her around "How's my special girl?"

She pouted wrapping her arms around his neck "You've been gone all day, I've missed you." Her grip was weak and her eyes were slightly glazed over, distant.

"I know sweetie." He smiled tightly walking over to the small kiddie table with crayons and setting her down in one of her chairs "I had some work I had to do." He got out some crayons and handed them to her watching as she silently drew on a blank piece of paper.

His wife had died when their daughter was only two and he had raised her ever since. There were whispers that he was overprotective, obsessive even. He kept his daughter locked up, the only contact she had was with him and a select few of his employees.

He would not lose her too, for years he had been working towards protecting her and finally he was getting close.

"Mr. Zeeman," one of his employees stuck their head in looking apologetic "Mrs. Perkins has requested to see you again."

Nelson nodded and pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek "I'll see you later sweetheart." He stood and walked out of the room feeling his daughter's eyes on his back. He knew he should feel guilty but he had work to do, he comforted himself with the knowledge that she would soon forget any sadness.

She was his little girl and he would make sure she stayed that way, happy, forever.

Blood dripped from his hand and he wiped it off on a white hand towel his mouth set in a grim line. "Sweetie?" his voice echoed through the empty hallway and he turned the knob on the door slowly walking down the steps "Don't hide from Daddy dear."

He pulled the chain on one of the overhead lights "This is not funny." He closed his eyes and let his senses roam a satisfied smile touching his lips. His steps were measured and swift and he made his way to the end of the hallway and a hidden closest.

"Found you." He whispered as he pulled it open and his little girl looked up at him and whimpered clutching a teddy bear closely. Her pale gone was splattered with blood and there was some on her cheek.

It wasn't hers.

"Please don't." she pleaded softly her eyes bright with fear.

He knelled down before her pulling her small body into his arms telling her smoothly "I am going to make everything better baby." He made his way down the tunnel and back to the stairs with her trembling in his arms.

He had failed her, he had thought he had found a way to cleanse her of her mother's disease but it had failed. There hadn't been enough energy and it would be near impossible to start again. The accident had been too convenient and it would take too long to bring back the patrons.

According to the newspapers there had been a fire and none of the bodies had been recovered. Over 30 people had been killed and he had had to spend days cleaning up the mess, his daughter had disappeared the night before.

His wife had been special, tainted with powers and a calling that had destroyed their lives and when their daughter had been born he had used the connections his wife had made in the past year after her calling to find a creature that could help him.

He had been told his daughter would one day suffer from the same disease.

He couldn't let it happen.

His wife had of course died and he had stayed connected to the creature gathering the information he needed. These Slayers were an anomaly, he had learned how they had been created and they were just as drenched in evil as the things they hunted, even more so because they had a human soul.

They were killers.

The Watchers Council, fools that they were, had tried to placate him, had kept their distant from his daughter from the beginning but he would not be fooled. They did nothing to stop this infestation, but he would.

He had found a way how and it all started with her, his little girl. He could not save her, he knew that now, but she would be the catalysts.

"It's okay." He whispered softly laying his daughter on the ground of the room he had chosen. She laid still even her cries faded as her eyes glazed over again and he reached out to her mind calming her.

There was no need for her to suffer.

"This will be over quickly," he promised her picking up the blessed dagger black shadows drifting around his feet "and then you will be free."

She watched him her head titled dark hair brushing her shoulders. He slept so sweetly his breathing even and she saw the strength there, and the darkness, hidden inside him, so quiet and distant but still there.

Beside him was the pretty girl, pale and bright, almost blinding in her intensity, it hurt to look at her. Her energy was barely contained in the shell of her too human body, there were iron chains keeping her there forged in secrecy and barely string enough to contain a force that was never meant to live and breath, to walk among others.

She knew so much now, drifting and forever dodging the black cloud that followed her. It was a game, she was a child and she had no body to be hurt so she played. But they could be hurt; they were so fragile, so familiar.

They had so much power; each one brimmed with it, all in different shades but the same, from the same source.

She was scared, he wanted them.

Not the man and the pretty girl, their power wasn't what daddy wanted. He would make use of it anyway but it wasn't what had him so excited. She could feel his joy and it scared her, it was the other two women's powers, the Princesses. Especially the one wit the golden hair,

She was scared, she wanted to save them but she was so small and so tired, and she still wanted to play, she hadn't had anyone to play with in so long.

She reached out her hand to brush the man's cheek and she could feel the warmth of his skin, he was a Prince too like the others, the other two men her daddy was playing with, the ones he had gotten lost. They were all so strong; she wanted them save the Princesses, in the way her daddy had never saved her mommy.

Sam stirred and his eyes flew open as he felt a sudden chill.

It was in the air for just a second, a shimmering form in a dress he recognized only this one wasn't ravaged by time and didn't carry the stench of death. The girl in front of him smiled softly the same girl from the day before and disappeared in a wisp of white smoke that faded away.

Sam blinked and it all came rushing back causing him to clutch his head, it felt like a vision but it wasn't, it was the truth. Tentatively he opened his eyes and looked around the room seeing how it was untouched by the time that had passed and he knew it must be an illusion.

He tuned in the bed and saw Dawn and a wave of guilt hit him followed by determination. "Dawn." He whispered shaking the young woman softly and her eyes fluttered open looking confused, before she could ask any questions he told her "I am going to go get Faith and Buffy, we need to talk."

Because he knew why he had been woken up, they would have little time and he needed to make them see. He remembered, everything, Dean and Xander needed them and it was time for the illusion to end.

He had brothers, with how annoying Dean was he knew it must have taken a lot of power to make him forget.


	13. Escape From the Unknown

Title: Beer Bad  
Author: Chosenfire  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners and I make no profit off of playing with them.  
Rating: PG-15  
Pairing(s): Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Willow/Oz  
Spoilers: BtVS post Chosen, SPN season 1 "Provenance"  
Summary: Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up and a Vampire Slayer.

Dedication: MichelleWinchester. She made me some beautiful images on TtH that did what she intended them to do, they inspired me.

_A/N: Finally an update, I know you're stunned. This chapter took me longer to write than I thought but I am pleased with the end product. There are only a couple more chapters dealing with the Hotel and Zeeman but don't worry, the end of the case is not the end of the story. I can say with absolute confidence that I'm not even half way through with the things I already have planned. Enjoy and please review, if I know people are still reading I promise to get the next chapter out in a week._

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**Chapter 13 Escape From the Unknown**

Sam moved down the hallway taking in the place without the filters of the illusion that had been weaved around him. It looked like it had earlier, depleted and abandoned.

He opened doors hand going to the gun still in the waist band of the pants he had been wearing before the weird dreamscape. He thought of the dream world and tried to figure out what in the hell had happened.

Something had trapted them in an illusion and made them forget about what they were doing and his brothers.

He could still hear the voice of the little girl in his head telling him they were in danger, he could still see the terror in her eyes as she had been killed by her father that the vision had showed him. Nelson Zeeman had killed his daughter because he had believed she'd been infected with something her mother had had.

Now he was trageting Buffy and Faith because they carried that same infection.

Finally, Sam found them chained to a wall both unconscious. Faith was closest so he checked the strength of the chain and the lock before scanning the room for something to break it with.

His eyes widened when he saw the weapon Buffy had been carrying earlier the red and silver steel gleaming eerily. He still didn't know who these people were and what they had gotten Xander into.

His brother had been carrynig a gun and looking for all intents and purposes like he knew how to use it.

Sam grasped the weapon marveling that he could fell it throughout his being, it tingled with a wrongness that it did not belong in his hands but there was an unmistakable power to it. He cut his eyes away from the metal and hefted it aiming for the rusted link where Faith's wrists were suspended.

It broke on one swing and he moved to catch her as her body fell lowering her gently to the floor.

He moved to Buffy and noticed the shallow cut on her chin blood drying on her neck. He took aim again and with a sharp clang the links came undone and he caught her as well placing her besides Faith.

He didn't know when the shadow would return and he had to move quickly.

He picked Faith cradling her with one arm and holding the weapon with the other and he practically ran to the room he had left Dawn in. Dawn had gotten up and had found water somewhere that she was using to wash away some blood on her forehead. She jumped when Sam entered her eyes widening as she saw Faith and he put the woman on the old bed.

"Buffy's still there." He explained letting the Scythe fall to the ground as he rushed back to his brother's wife lifting her in his arms.

Both of them were so light.

Yet the weapons he had seen in their hands had look right.

He carried her to the room and lowered her unto the other bed watching as Dawn hovered over Faith her hands checking the other woman's body for any hidden injuries. Her movements were quick and efficient and Sam was once again struck by the sense that it wasn't the first time she had done this.

He didn't have time to deal on it though. He accepted the wet cloth Dawn passed him and gently glided it over Buffy's forehead his throat tight as his eyes moved down her small body to the ring on her finger.

Sometimes things hit you when you least expected them to.

Buffy was family.

It didn't matter that the subject of an annulment or divorce was bandied about just as much as the prospect of his brother and this slight woman staying together.

He had seen the way Dean looked at her, with such longing and he had known for a split second his brother had envisioned a future he never believed he could have.

A wife, a family, a life of his own.

He knew Dean had thought of this because he had seen the look in his eyes when he had denied. When he had pushed it to the back of his mind and convinced himself that it wasn't for him.

Sam glanced over at Dawn who was ringing out her rag and his breath caught. She was beautiful and a part of him felt lighter every time she would smile at him but he knew it was a lie.

He didn't know her and even if he did he couldn't.

He couldn't forget Jessica; he couldn't forget watching her burn on the ceiling and being helpless to save her. He couldn't forget the itch in his gut that told him it was his fault, what had happened to Jessica, to his mom, that the demon was after him and that any woman that got close to him would just end up dead.

"Fuck, anyone get the number of the bus that ran me over so I can find the guy and beat the crap out of him." Faith groaned as she rubbed her head sitting up in the bed. Her eyes landed on Sam before shifting to Buffy and back to Dawn dismissing the younger Winchester "What the hell happened?"

"We're not sure." Dawn glanced over at Sam and ducked her head.

Faith looked between the two before asking "Is B alright?"

"I think so." Sam checked her pulse finding it steady. "There's a cut on her forehead so she might have a minor concussion."

Faith nodded swinging her legs over the side of the bed her tone flat "So where are Xander and Dean?" He eyes pinned Sam's and she stood flexing her muscles looking ready for a fight.

He sighed admitting "We don't know."

And that was the thing that was killing him. Whatever had happened to them Dean and Xander hadn't been a part of and he was worried about his brothers.

Willow bit her bottom lip pacing on the thick rug someone had laid down on the cool stone floor. She clenched and unclenched the hands at her sides wondering what she should do.

"What's wrong?" Oz stepped up beside her his voice soft and his eyes concerned.

She resisted the urge to jump telling herself she had known he was there and gave him a shaky grin "I tried to call Buffy but it didn't go through."

Most people would have suggested maybe she was asleep, maybe she didn't hear the phone, maybe it was as simple as a missed call but Oz wasn't a regular person. He had been raised on the Hellmouth and the words he spoke reflected that "What does it mean?"

"I did a locator spell, their not showing up so that means their stuck somewhere," she shifted nervously changing directions "if I get closer I might be able to pin down their location, if that doesn't work I know where they were last so I can work my way from there."

"You're leaving."

Willow sighed "Sort of have to, when the two ultimate Slayers pull a vanishing act that usually spells trouble for the good guys."

Oz nodded digging his hands in to his pockets and he seemed to decide something "Okay," she turned to leave when she heard him say firmly "I'll pack a bag."

She turned back to him stunned "You want to come?"

His smile was soft "The mate thing is new but wanting be with you isn't. I'll take it slow but I don't want you to walk into danger without me there."

She felt herself melt her cheeks warming "Just like old times huh?"

Oz shrugged "Just hopefully with a better ending."

Buffy winced first becoming aware of the pain that screamed throughout her body. She bit back her groan and opened her eyes blinking against the faint light. Her head pounded and her wrists had the familiar burn of shackles.

"Buffy!" she felt Dawn before she saw her. Her little sisters face was pulled tight in concern and something else. Buffy quickly sat up noticing Faith watching her from one side of the room and Sam Winchester from the other both with varying degrees of concern.

Faith's was tinged with rage and the other Slayer didn't bother to waste time worrying now that Buffy was moving around. The healing portion of the super girl package covered that.

Sam, on the other hand didn't know about that, and he looked to be seconds away from asking her her full name and who was the president. He even moved forward but was stopped by Dawn helping her get to her feet shooting Sam an annoyed look.

Now that was interesting, whatever had happened since she had been in the land of unconsciousness laid the explanation for why both of them were looking ready to bolt if they got within five feet of each other.

"You all remember the funky dream with the dresses and hotel right?"

They nodded Faith offering "And Xander and your husband."

Buffy looked down at the ring on her finger her eyes widening "Oh, yeah that," she looked around frowning "so where are…?"

"We don't know." And there was Sam Winchester looking like he had lead many a discussion "We were waiting for you to wake up then we were going to look for them and a way out."

Buffy spotted her Scythe on the floor and bent down scooping it up with relief "Well I'm up so let's go." She moved to the door Faith and Dawn falling in step behind her.

Sam frowned standing in front of the door stopping them "You've just been unconscious for over an hour, you should be resting."

Buffy stared at him her voice flat "I'm fine, now move so that we can go and save your brothers from whatever baddie has been playing mind games with us for whoever knows how long." When he didn't move she rolled her eyes waving the Scythe for emphasis "Fine, let's stand here and talk while Xander and Dean are turned into human sausages because you thought we should wait." She glanced over at Faith whose hands were forming into fists at her sides "Or she could knock you out."

Sam looked between the three women feeling the danger that rolled off them in waves and asked "Who are you people?"

Buffy smiled bitterly "We're the good guys, what about you?"

Sam sighed shaking his head "Yeah." And moved aside falling into step with Buffy as they made their way into the hall. He locked eyes with Buffy and nodded his head in understanding.

She smiled briefly before going into general mode "I know I got my shiny toy," she indicated the Scythe "how are the rest of you strapped if things get messy?"

Sam drew a gun from his back pocket "I'm good." He also had a couple of knives hidden under the sleeves of his jacket and another long one in a sheath at his ankle.

Faith drew a dagger twirling it one handed "If it can be diced call me Emerald."

Dawn held up her empty hands "I lost my crossbow but if push comes to shove I can always bring up some Latin chants, maybe a spell or two in ancient Sumerian, Swahili too."

"Good," Buffy nodded scanning the hallways "does any of this look familiar to anyone?"

Sam studied it "Yeah, take a right when we come to the end of the hallway and it should lead to some stairs and the lower levels." Before they had checked the place out Sam had gotten the map from one of the local libraries and he had spent an hour or so pouring over it looking from strange symbols in the structure that could explain the disappearances and the death of the young girl.

Buffy nodded and they turned when it came up taking the stairs one by one each scanning the area around them closely for any sign of the shadow that had snuck up on them earlier.

"Do you hear that?" Faith's voice broke the silence and she was looking to Buffy. The group had stopped and the slight blond scanned the area nodding "Yeah, I do."

Sam didn't but no one seemed to be asking him.

"It's over here." Faith pocketed the knife and moved over to where a large cabinet was pushed against the wall. Sam followed the girls and that's when he heard it. There was a distant scarping behind the cabinet.

"Help me." Buffy grabbed one side of the cabinet and Faith the other and together they moved to show a boarded up door.

Sam's eyes widened "Dean?" he yelled moving closer and the scraping stopped. There was a pregnant pause.

"Sam!" Dean yelled back his voice faint "Holy fucking Christ Sammy, you okay?"

"I'm fine." He studied the paneling already seeing the areas were it had been worn down from the other side "What about you and Xander?"

"We're fine," he could hear the scraping start up again "That damn demonic cloud dumped us in a bunch of tunnels."

Sam's lips slipped into a relieved grin and he looked around grabbing an old broken lamp. He turned it upside down and began to pound it into the wood watching with satisfaction as he saw the immediate results of his efforts the wood cracking. Buffy moved up beside him and started working on the edges of the wood with the Scythe.

A few minutes passed before Xander could be heard sounding closer to them yelling "Okay, that should be enough, stand back."

They did and two bodies crashed through the broken down wood and Dean and Xander picked themselves off from the ground dusting off the dirt and wood that clung to them.

Both sported matching grins and Dean laughed "Well what do you know, I am a freaking genius."

Xander rolled his eyes conceding "You were right; I bow down to your brilliance."

"Damn straight." Dean smirked eyes already moving over the group checking for injuries.

"You're both idiots." Faith growled out moving over to Xander her hands moving over his sides before she grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged his mouth to hers in a heated kiss her body molding to his.

Dean moved to stand by Sam as they watched their brother and Faith kiss and Buffy stepped up beside him. He looked from her to the couple before looking back to her taking a deep breath and moving in.

Buffy took a hurried step back looking at him oddly "What are you doing?"

Dean snorted "Apparently not getting a hello kiss, it was worth a shot."

She shook her head smiling.

"Guys we should go now." Dawn came to stand up beside Sam her eyes lingering on the stairs in fear. They followed her gaze and the cloud from earlier was drifting in their direction.

"Why?" Dean demanded raising his gun waist level "I see we waist this thing."

Sam followed his actions "Dean we don't even know what it is."

"Yes Dean," the cloud took on the shape of Nelson Zeeman but not the polished man that had been in their dreams. His eyes were sunken in and his skin had a grayish tinge and was pulled tight around fragile looking bones. It was the color of his eyes though, were the iris usually was swirled the dark cloud they had encountered and the smile on his face gave him a very sinister appearance "you should really go."

His eyes slid over to Buffy and then Faith "But I'll have to insist they stay, I've been waiting for their filth to come back."

Faith came to stand beside Buffy Xander right behind her. Buffy snorted "Don't tell me you're another woman hating psychopath because we've been," her smile was cold "sliced him in half."

Zeeman's smile would have been affectionate if he wasn't so blatantly evil "I don't hate woman, jus the diseased ones, the ones that have been Chosen." He spat the last word like a curse.

"Slayers." Dawn breathed softly causing Dean and Sam to look at her sharply.

Dean swore "Oh you got to be fucking kidding me," he looked from Faith to Buffy "first vampires now Slayers, dude if you tell me the Easter Bunnies real I'll end you."

It was familiar but Sam couldn't place it "What's a Slayer?"

Xander offered "One girl in all the world born with the strength and skill to fight back the forces of darkness, she is the Chosen One only now it's she's, there's a lot more than one."

Faith smirked "Look at you Babe going all Watchery, it's kinda hot." Her smile was that of a predator as she measured Zeeman "So you're some Slayer hating freak who doesn't know when to die so you mess with smoke and send people to lala land. Gotta say not real scared."

Zeeman titled his head smiling "You will be." And Sam saw it before anyone else the cabinet flying at Faith and Xander. Acting purely on instinct he dove shoving them out of the way and he could fell one of the wooden pieces break off and jam into his shoulder.

He bit back his scream as they crashed to the ground and found his gun still held tightly in his hand as he brought it up. Dean was already firing the bullets slowing the bastard down thanks to the salt rounds and he let Faith and Xander help him to his feet as he began to fire.

He quickly ran out of bullets and dumped the clip pulling out a new one watching as a light seemed to grow in Dawn's hand as she whispered something under her breath and Buffy and Faith you were dodging various items flying across the room.

The clip slid into place but he was too late as Buffy was flung into the wall an invisible force holding her as Zeeman approached. Sam watched in horror as he saw long ragged cuts torn down her side dripping with blood through her clothes and he fired at the same time Dean did.

It didn't matter though they would have never gotten to her in time. It was Dawn that did, she whispered one last word and flung the ball of bright light and Zeeman causing him to scream and burst apart the traces flickering in and out before disappearing into the black cloud and sinking into the floor.

"Buffy!!" Dean yelled as her body crumpled to the floor and he slid to his knees besides her pulling her into his arms. She winced trying to sit up and he laughed shakily "I got myself a Super Chick."

"Oh yeah," she winced as she let him help her stand leaning on him heavily "I fell real super right now."

"That was some spell." Sam commented softly to Dawn as they made their way over to the couple Xander and Faith beside them.

She looked pale and her smile was weak "Unfortunately it's not going to last for long so we should get out of here and find a more permanent solution," her eyes fell on Sam's shoulder where he was pulling out the piece of wood dark blood already staining the area around the wound "and that looks bad."

Dean moved closer to Sam still supporting Buffy "Dude why didn't you say anything?" the concern in his voice was covered with annoyance.

"It's not that bad." Sam argued weakly.

"Just cause you say that doesn't make it true Sammy." Xander grinned slapping his arm and Sam winced glaring at him. They started to move Sam with Dawn at his side tossing him nervous glances and Xander at his other splitting his concern between him and Buffy with an arm wrapped around Faith's waist.

Dean was doing the same was he supported Buffy and they pushed their way into the quickly lightening sky as the sun was rising and the city was still alive around them.


	14. Difference Between Black, White, and Red

**Title:** Beer Bad  
**Author:**Chosenfire  
**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN. All recognizable characters and situations belong to their respective owners and I make no profit off of playing with them.  
**Rating:** PG-15  
**Pairing(s):**Buffy/Dean, Sam/Dawn, Faith/Xander, Willow/Oz  
**Spoilers:** BtVS post Chosen, SPN season 1 "Provenance"  
**Summary:** Answer to Jinni's woke up in Vegas challenge. Dean and Sam are on a Hunt in the city of sin when Dean wakes up after a night of heavy drinking to find himself married to none other than Buffy Summers, the best friend of the brother he had to give up and a Vampire Slayer.

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long between updates, real life has a habit of getting in the way and to be honest I forgot about this account. Here is Chapter 14, enjoy and remember to leave a review.

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**Chapter 14 The Difference Between Black, White, and Red**

Self consciously Buffy pulled off her shirt wincing as the material caught at the ragged cuts on her abdomen. She attempted to pull it over her head but sharply breathed in as the wounds stretched as bleed harder.

"Here." Dean's voice was soft his hands gentle as they moved over her bare skin slipping first one arm then the other out of the shirt before pulling it over her head.

He sat close to her on the bed and his eyes moved from her sating black bra to the cuts gruesomely decorating the tan skin of her sides.

She watched his eyes as he concentrated on her barely blinking when the alcohol soaked hand towel over the broken and torn skin. It burned sure but she was mesmerized by the way his throat worked and his jaw tightened.

It had only been a short time but was it possible that he already cared?

He reached from the wrap his eyes meeting hers and he stilled their eyes locking.

Dean was the first to break contact clearing his throat as he looked back down at the bandage in his hand and moved to wrap it around Buffy's midsection over the cuts on the bruised skin.

"How you doing Sammy?"

Sam looked up from his lap top where he was typing away furiously shirt halfway unbuttoned as Dawn taped down a bandage over the hole in his shoulder grumbling under her breath.

"Huh," Sam stopped typing "Oh, fine, it wasn't that deep."

"I meant the research genius." Dean challenged even though he had been asking about his brother's injury. He didn't like to be too obvious though.

Sam's lips tilted in the corners seeing right through his brother's gruff talk "What I can get from the database Dawn showed me is that Zeeman's wife was a Slayer, she was activated at the age 0f 18 and died at 20."

Dean snorted "Well that blows."

"That was the average lifespan of a Slayer," Dawn told them as she moved to Sam's back where the piece of wood has gone through "three years then was pretty good."

Dean looked from Dawn to Buffy tying the ends of the wrap together "So what's the average now?"

Buffy looked down watching as he put away the supplies telling him honestly "We don't know. We're sort of learning as we go."

While Dawn had been showing Sam the Council database she had told him about how over a thousand Slayers worldwide had been activated and how they trained them.

"So Faith and Buffy are Vampire Slayers?" Sam attempted to change the subject wanting to get away from any talk of death.

"The original two." Faith grinned saucily as she walked into the room followed by Xander who was weighed down with a take out box filled with greasy fast food and drinks.

"And you're…?" Sam inquired of Dawn haltingly.

She shared a quick look with Buffy before smiling nervously "A normal girl who knows a couple of magic tricks."

"So you're not a witch?" Dean demanded and there was a bite to his voice.

Dawn's eyes widened "Me, oh no, not at all. I can manage a couple of spells sure but I have nowhere near the training to call myself a witch. Even now all I want to do is crash; real witchcraft is dangerous and draining."

Xander having caught the edge to Dean's voice supplied "And not evil in any way, Witches that is, Dawn's not evil too but witches aren't." He smiled setting the food down on the table "Sure, you get the occasional witch that wants to relive her glory days of cheerleading by stealing her teenage daughters body but most witches are firmly in the not evil category."

"Sure they are." Dean sounded unconvinced "I suppose there are some non evil cuddly vampires as well and demons that aren't destruction seeking murderers."

Xander snorted thinking of Clem and began sorting through the food. Dawn brought a hand up to her mouth to hold in a very immature giggle. Faith and Buffy shared a look unable to suppress the grins on their faces and Dean and Sam watched in horror, more horror on Dean's part.

"Oh you got to be kidding me." He growled and stood making a beeline to the food breathing in the scent of greased meat and salty fries.

Buffy, still smiling, accepted the dark blue shirt Faith had got out of her bag for her and gave the other Slayer a grateful smile when she saw that it was a button up.

"We're really not." Xander's voice wavered between amusement and petulance at the subject that always managed to annoy him. Vampires with souls irked him in a way nothing else did.

He joined Dean in his search for the most unhealthy fuel in the pile passing Dawn a Caesar salad and putting the larger burgers off to the side for Buffy and Faith.

Slayer metabolism let the girls eat like garage disposals. The bill for feeding the mini Slayers was ridiculous.

Dean dug into the food with the relish of a man you fully appreciated the finest Crazy Joe's Diner had to offer.

"Hey guys I think I have something." Everyone turned to Sam a fry hanging out of Dean's mouth and Xander's already open to take a bite out of a burger. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's behavior before telling them "According to the database Zeeman's daughter might have been a potential Slayer, the first disappearance at the hotel was a representative the Council sent about the girl. Some signs even point to Nelson Zeeman playing with some pretty powerful and dark forces."

Dawn looked over his shoulder and her brow furrowed "Oh wow some people said they saw shadows in the hallways," at the blank looks meeting her statement Dawn clarified "in the middle of the day before the windows were boarded up."

Dean swallowed grabbing a beer out of the six-pack "So maybe when he died his spirit got mixed up in whatever he was screwing with and that's why he's a little more active than the average Casper."

Sam nodded following his brother's train of thought "Like the spirit of the old lady in Nebraska."

"Casper wasn't evil." Buffy supplied interrupting their reminiscing and when they looked at her she shrugged "Friendly Ghost. The. Not evil." At their blank looks she rolled her eyes "Just saying, so this spirit, how do you get rid of it?"

"Aren't you guys supposed to be the experts?" Dean demanded. They had this whole organization and everything, apparently they even got paid.

"We mostly deal with demons and vampires, the occasional cult that tries to end the world, spirits, not so much."

"Oh," Xander looked excited grabbing his own beer "Remember that James guy sophomore year, or was it Jim, Jimmy, anyways Mr. Killed His Teacher That Broke Up With Him and Wanted to Be Forgiven?"

"I remember hearing something about that," Faith grabbed the burger Xander had set aside for her "Didn't him and his lady possess you and Angel during his Angelus days?"

Buffy frowned "He did, but we didn't exactly get rid of him. We just played through the scene so they could resolve things and they went away." She remembered the whole finding herself kissing her evil former boyfriend.

"But there was a spell you guys were going to try," Dawn offered "you never got to finish it so it could have worked."

Dean listened with avid interest snorting "Where in the hell did you guys go to school?" He shook his head "Interesting as this is we usually dig up the corpse and salt and burn the bones." He had never been too keen on witchcraft. The witches they had ran across tended to want to reap bloody revenge on whoever wronged them and weren't above trying to kill anyone that got in their way.

Buffy shrugged "Or we could do that I guess."

Sam closed his lap top and started to pace as something occurred to him. Buffy and Dawn moved to the food and Dean looked up at his brother.

"What's crawled up your ass?"

Sam took a moment to glare at him darkly before telling him "The corpse of Zeeman's daughter is in the hotel, her spirit is restless too and we should still take care of it, give her some peace."

Dean took a drink before shaking his head "So let me get this straight, you want us to go back in the house where you got a piece of wood in your shoulder and my wife got her stomach shredded so that we can give little girl ghosty some peace?" sarcasm dripped from every word.

"Dean, we can't pick and choose the people we save."

"Last time I checked ghosts weren't people." Dean shot back.

"Dudes, yo chill," Faith had already polished off her burger and was working on some fries grabbing a beer for herself "As much as I like a good throw down there ain't much we can do with this Zeeman guy but burn his bones, we can deal with ghost girl after."

Sam sighed frustrated "She could get violent too and the sooner we take of this the better, besides usually spirits come after us when we try to burn them, if someone else is there it could work as a distraction."

Dean watched his brother seeing how much this meant to him before determining grudgingly "Fine, but Buffy and Faith go nowhere near that hotel again."

"Okay."

"What, we don't get a say in this?" Buffy's voice rose and she put her burger down half finished "Slayers here." Her eyes flashed at the thought that she was going to have to sit on the sideline.

"That's sort of the problem honey." He spat the endearment like a curse "The guy's wife was a Slayer and so was his daughter, the daughter he killed if you're forgetting that, so you aren't exactly his favorite kind of person."

Seeing a fight brewing between the two Dawn interjected "Guys, are we sure the whole salt and burn routine is going to work? This Zeeman guy isn't exactly a run of the mill spirit is he? For all we know he could be connected to the hotel."

Everyone stilled at the thought before Dean's eyes lit up and he turned to his brother expectantly.

"We're not going to burn down the hotel Dean." Sam growled.

Dean pouted "Why not?"

"We can't solve everything by burning it down."

Dean remained unconvinced "And I repeat, why not?" It made the most sense. If the spirit was connected to the hotel torch it and no more spirit.

"We could try a spell, I'm pretty sure I know one that will work." A soft voice offered from the doorway and everyone turned to see Willow leaning against the doorframe a short and slim man beside her.

"Will." Buffy smiled standing to hug her best friend and her eyes slid to the newcomer "And I see you brought back a souvenir." Her smile was warm "Hey Oz."

He gave her a small nod "Hey."

They stepped more fully into the room and Willow looked from Xander to Dean before asking bluntly "So is there a reason why you're legally dead?"

Dean was startled but he recovered quickly "Shape shifter, so you do spells too?"

She nodded "I'm a witch."

Dean frowned "Oh." Before grabbing for his beer again "If we're not going to burn the place down I say we still salt and burn the bones. If it doesn't work we can think of something else." His eyes moved from Willow to the new guy Oz. "So who in the hell are you?"

Oz dug his hands into his pockets looking comfortable "Name's Oz, I'm with Willow."

"With, with, like in the intimate sense?"

"It's complicated." Willow's smile was strained and she turned to Xander "So your brothers aren't evil or anything."

Xander smiled shaking his head "Nope, just compulsive liars. They're Hunters, they hunt thing." He mimed chopping something with his hand and stopped looking embarrassed when everyone stared at him.

Dean smirked "And I can play a mean game of pool." He gazed suspiciously at the Oz guy "Now that the who's who is out of the way can we get back to the case." he moved to sit beside Buffy and she moved her chair closer to him as she finished off her burger and debated whether she wanted to risk a beer again.

Her eyes locked with Dean's and he grinned.

"Scared of a little alcohol Princess?"

Buffy rolled her eyes "The last time I drank I got married."

Dean reached for her hand holding theirs up so that the light caught the rings "And look how well that has turned out, I'm quite the catch you know" he gloated before adding "and you're not too shabby yourself."

He tuned back into the conversation going on between Willow, Sam, and Dawn and didn't even complain when they agreed to try the spell while burning the girl's bones.

"So how does this spell work?" Sam asked curiously.

Willow bit her lips "It's not a spell exactly, more like an exorcism." She warmed to the subject her eyes lightening and Dean could see Sam geeking out "We find the hot spot in the hotel, the place where all the bad mojo is coming from and we create a Mangus-tripod."

Dean shook his head "Yeah, I'm not following. A what?"

She moved towards them and grabbed a fry ignoring Xander's pout as she put in the middle of the table "Say this is the hot spot, one person would chant here." She grabbed three more fries and placed them around the other one "And three other people will chant in other places around the hotel forming a triangle. It's supposed to bind the bad spirit and keep it from doing any more harm."

Dean shook his head reaching for his beer and going back to looking at his delectable wife "Sounds like a plan Red."

He caught Xander's eyes and his brother took a drink saluting him with the bottle before going back to sorting through an impressive collection of daggers that apparently belonged to his badass girlfriend that was hanging over his shoulder watching him with an eagle eye. While doing that he reached for one of the fries.

Dean grinned asking "So if this plan doesn't work do I get to burn the hotel down or not?"


End file.
